A tequila Bloody Mary, or Bloody Maria, from Iron Chef Rick Bayless. The recipe is below. Photo courtesy of Frontera Foods.

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December 2005
Updated March 2007

Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Cocktails

Bloody Mary: Variations On A Theme

The History Of A Cocktail—And Its Progeny Recipes  

• Overview
• Origin Of The Bloody Mary
• Bloody Mary Recipes

Set up a Bloody Mary Bar at your next party and try several!

It seems only right that the Bloody Mary, a cocktail favorite that just happens to be dressed for the season in holiday red with green accessories, should be featured front and center at parties. Not only is she appropriately garbed, her versatility pleases revelers: there are dozens of recipe variations so she never gets dull; and non-drinkers love her too. (The Virgin Mary is so tasty, it’s even popular even with those who like the regular drink.)  Bloody Mary is low-cal compared to sweet cocktails, the tomato juice has Vitamin C, and the celery stalk has good crunch that may help deflect the desire to grab pretzels and chips. And it has fiber to boot! How many “wins” is that? No wonder Mary is such a popular gal, when so many of her original set have been left in the dust.

The History Of The Bloody Mary

The Legend: The way the story is often told, Mary was the brainchild of Fernand “Pete” Petiot, an American bartender working at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris during the Roaring 20s. Bartenders regularly mix up all kinds of concoctions to keep their clientele interested: even the ones that enjoy popularity for a while drift into obscurity (whatever happened to the Side Car and the Sloe Gin Fizz?).

So, the story goes, it was pure luck, not strategic planning, when Petiot combined tomato juice and vodka. A colleague named it, and not after Rogers and Hammerstein—the drink preceded “South Pacific” by more than 30 years. Nor was it named after Mary, Queen of Scots. According to research by McIlhenny Company, makers of Tabasco brand pepper sauce, an essential Bloody Mary ingredient, Petiot said that “one of the boys suggested we call the drink ‘Bloody Mary’ because it reminded him of the Bucket of Blood Club in Chicago, and a girl there named Mary.”

In 1934 Petiot took a job at the King Cole Bar at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City (ultimately becoming head barman). In the 1940s, he introduced the Bloody Mary there. The hotel tried to change the name to Red Snapper, but it didn’t have the same snap. But while they like the name, New Yorkers found the cocktail a bit bland, and encouraged Petiot to add some seasoning. He chose black pepper, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, lemon, and, for patrons who liked it spicy, Tabasco sauce, largely reformulating the Bloody Mary we know and love. When the drink became a national sensation in the 1950s, Petiot claimed he had invented it while working at Harry’s New York Bar in the 1920s.

The Updated Story Of The Bloody Mary: More recent research has updated this story. Eric Felten reporting for The Wall Street Journal* comes up with a more accurate version. Barry Popick, a consulting editor of the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, did some sleuthing that found earlier references crediting the origin of the Bloody Mary to comedian, songwriter and movie producer George Jessel, the “Toastmaster General of the United States.” In the 1950s he even appeared in Smirnoff vodka ads declaring himself the inventor, and wrote the story of how he invented it in his 1975 autobiography (to clear his head after a night of drinking). Since Jessel was also a famous self-promoter, many doubted the claim; but Popick found this 1939 mention in Lucius Beebe’s New York Herald Tribune column: “George Jessel’s newest pick-me-up which is receiving attention from the town’s paragraphers is called a Bloody Mary: half tomato juice, half vodka.”

*Saturday/Sunday March 3-4, 2007

In a 1964 interview in The New Yorker, Petiot qualified his claim. “I initiated the Bloody Mary of today,” he declared. “George Jessel said he created it, but it was really  nothing but vodka and tomato juice when I took it over....I cover the bottom of the shaker with four large dashes of salt, two dashes of black pepper, two dashes of cayenne pepper and a layer of Worcestershire sauce.” He added lemon juice, two ounces each of vodka and tomato juice and some cracked ice; then, “shake, strain and pour.” The current evolution, including much higher percentage of tomato juice, horseradish and a celery stick, must be credited to someone who has yet to step forth to claim it.

Bloody Mary Recipes: Thoroughly Modern Marys

Today, there are dozens and dozens of variations on the Bloody Mary recipe. Change the alcohol (hot pepper vodka, aquavit, tequila, sake), the seasoning (lime, clam juice, chipotle), the garnish (celery stalk, rosemary, cornichon), add an extra alcohol (pernod, absinthe) and you have a Bloody Shame, a Bloody Viper, a bloody long list of drinks.  We’ve included enough for you to set up a Bloody Mary bar and have a heck of a party. Any of the recipes can be turned into a Virgin Mary—just leave out the alcohol.

RECIPE NOTE: Some food writers will admonish that you can only make a good Bloody Mary from top vodka. We add what no one else has suggested: you can only make a good Bloody Mary from excellent tomato juice, which is by volume the largest component of the drink. Thus, we conducted a tasting of the available brands of juice. We started with supermarket brands and found that the difference between them was significant; and the difference between the best supermarket brand and the best specialty brand we found at Whole Foods was even more significant. The theory that “so much spice is going into it, the juice doesn’t matter” is fallacious: if that were true, it would be true for the vodka as well.

• All recipes that follow are for one cocktail. To make drinks by the pitcher, you’ll need 32 ounces of tomato juice and 1-1/2 cups of alcohol. One jar of Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and horseradish should get you through the party; and the number of lemons, limes, and other accents will depend on which recipe(s) you’re serving.
• If you don’t have a jigger, 2 ounces = 1/4 cup.

How To Make A Bloody Mary: Bloody Mary Recipes

The Updated Classic

Today’s classic has evolved even further beyond Fernand Petiot’s King Cole Bar recipe, with horseradish and lemon juice bringing wondrous flavor dimensions. No one knows to whom credit should be given for the addition of the celery stalk, but we are grateful for the crunch.

• 2/3 cup top-quality tomato juice
• 2 to 3 ounces top-shelf vodka*, depending on strength of drink
• 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
• 6 shakes Tabasco Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
• Juice of 1/2 large lime (or medium lemon)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt (preferably sea salt)
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Celery stalk

*Absolut, which has a great ad campaign, is pretty low down on the scale. The winners at last year’s World Beverage Championships in the  Ultra-Premium category, were, in order of ranking: Level, 42 Below, Chopin, Vox, Turi, Grey Goose and Belvedere.  Of course, you can buy Stoli or Ketel One without shame.

Combine the first eight ingredients, mix well; pour over ice in a tall glass and garnish with the celery stalk.

Bloody Bull

• 2 ounces top-quality tomato juice
• 2 ounces top-shelf vodka
• 2 ounces canned beef bouillon
• 6 shakes Tabasco Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 scallion (green onion)

Combine the first six ingredients, mix well; pour over ice in a tall glass and garnish with the scallion.

Bloody Mariner

• 2 ounces top-quality tomato juice
• 2 ounces top-shelf vodka
• 2 ounces clam juice
• 6 shakes Tabasco Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 celery stalk

Combine the first six ingredients, mix well; pour over ice in a tall glass and garnish with the celery stalk.

Danish Mary

• 2 ounces top-quality tomato juice
• 1-1/2 ounces aquavit
• 6 shakes Tabasco Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon grated onion
• Sprig of fresh dill

Combine the first six ingredients, mix well; pour over ice in a tall glass and garnish with the dill.

Highland Mary

• 2 ounces top-quality tomato juice
• 1-1/2 ounces Scotch whiskey
• 6 shakes Tabasco Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon grated onion
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, slightly crushed

Combine the first six ingredients, mix well; pour over ice in a tall glass and garnish with the rosemary, crushed slightly to release its flavor.

Russian Mary

• 2 ounces top-quality tomato juice
• 2 ounces top-shelf vodka
• 2 tablespoons plain yogurt (regular or nonfat)
• 6 shakes Tabasco Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon grated onion
• 1 sprig of parsley

Combine the first seven ingredients, mix well; pour over ice in a tall glass and garnish with the parsley.

Bloody Maria

Called a “Maraca Bloody Mary” by Iron Chef Rick Bayless of Chicago’s Topolobampo and Frontera Grill, a Bloody Mary with tequila, salt and lime is often called a “Bloody Maria.”  This recipe uses Chef Bayless’ Maraca Bloody Mary Mix, which is a tomato juice base with perfect proportions of seasoning.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces (1/2 cup) Maraca Bloody Mary Mix
• 2 Ounces (1/4 cup) tequila
• 1 tablespoon Frontera Red Pepper Hot Sauce
• 2 lime wedges
• Salt and Pepper

Directions

• Mix Maraca Bloody Mary Mix with tequila. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Rub the edge of a tall glass with a lime wedge. Then dip in salt.
• Fill the glass with ice, then pour in the Bloody Mary mixture. Garnish with a fresh lime wedge.

This recipe also can be made with vodka or gin; or as a Virgin Mary without alcohol.

Chipotle Maria

Ending with a second South-of-the-Border theme, here is a variation of the Chipotle Mary we published in another article, this time using tequila instead of vodka.

• 1-1/2 ounces tequila
• 3 ounces top-quality tomato juice
• 1 squeeze lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2-3 drops Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce
• Garnishes: celery, cornichons, cocktail onions, blue cheese

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into an old-fashioned glass over ice cubes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with celery and skewered cornichons, cocktail onions and a cube of blue cheese.

Pete Petiot’s “Original” Bloody Mary

• 2 ounces vodka
• 2 ounces tomato juice
• 1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 2 to 4 dashes salt
• 2 dashes fresh black pepper
• 2 dashes cayenne pepper
• 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce

Shake with ice and strain into a short glass.

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