Bloody Mary
Vodka and tomato juice credited to George Jessel, 1920s; refined by Fernand Petiot, King Cole Bar, St. Regis, New York, 1934
The Bloody Mary is vodka and tomato juice seasoned with lemon, Worcestershire, hot sauce, horseradish, celery salt and pepper, rolled gently and served tall over ice. It is savory, spicy and bright, and as much a meal as a drink. New Year's Day brunch is what it was made for.
- GlassCollins
- MethodShaken
- Ingredients8
Directions
- Add everything to a shaker tin with ice.
- Roll the drink back and forth between two tins five or six times to chill it without making it foamy.
- Strain into a tall glass over fresh ice.
ToolsJiggerShakerHawthorne strainerCollins glass
Don't have these? Build a drink from your shelf →History
Entertainer George Jessel said he mixed vodka and tomato juice in Palm Beach in the 1920s, and in 1964 Fernand Petiot acknowledged that Jessel came first. Petiot became head bartender at the St. Regis King Cole Bar in 1934, where he added the spice and seasoning that turned it into the Bloody Mary. The popular story that Petiot invented it at Harry's New York Bar in Paris has no documentary evidence behind it.
Making a batch? Scale it for a crowd, add dilution water, and see how many bottles to buy.
What you'll need to buy
Based on 750ml bottles (25.4 oz), rounded up.
Bottle math, generally
Batching dilution
When you batch, there's no ice melting in a shaker, so you add the water yourself: 18% for spirit-forward drinks, 25% for shaken ones.
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