Ingredients
Drink
- 50 mlvodka
- 120 mlgood tomato juice
- 15 mllemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 2 tspWorcestershire sauce, which contains anchovy
- 4to 8 dashes Tabasco or another hot sauce
- 1 tspprepared horseradish
- a good pinch celery salt
- black pepper
To serve
- a tall glass
- plenty of ice
- a celery stick
- a lemon wedge
- sometimes an olive or a pickle
Directions
- Use a good tomato juice, since a thin or over-sweetened one cannot be rescued by seasoning. A thicker juice gives more body, which is what a Bloody Mary should have.
- Chill it thoroughly before you start. Horseradish gives the sharp heat that catches in the nose, quite different from the chilli heat of the hot sauce.
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice rather than bottled. The acid is what stops the drink tasting flat and heavy, and bottled juice tastes dull in comparison.
- Taste it before it goes in the glass and adjust. It should be savoury first, then sour, then hot, with the salt clearly present.
- Season it more assertively than seems right, since ice will dilute it considerably. Do not shake a Bloody Mary in a cocktail shaker.
- Pour the drink back and forth between two mixing glasses, or between a shaker tin and a glass, several times. Four or five passes is enough.
- Fill a tall glass with ice rather than adding a few cubes. Rub a lemon wedge round the rim and dip it in celery salt mixed with a little black pepper. Serve it immediately, since it separates on standing and needs stirring again.
Technique
- Fernand Petiot refined it at the St Regis, where it was sold as a Red Snapper.
- Never shake it, since aerating tomato juice turns it pale and frothy.
- Worcestershire sauce contains anchovy.
Substitutions
- Gin in place of vodka, which makes a Red Snapper.
- Any hot sauce in place of Tabasco.
Variations
- Bloody Maria, made with tequila.
- Virgin Mary, made without alcohol.
- With a celery salt rim on the glass.
History
Fernand Petiot refined it at the King Cole Bar of New York’s St. Regis, where it was long sold as a Red Snapper.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bloody Mary?
Bloody Mary is a cocktail from United States: vodka and spiced tomato juice with lemon, horseradish and celery. Fernand Petiot refined it at the King Cole Bar of New York’s St. Regis, where it was long sold as a Red Snapper.
How long does Bloody Mary take to make?
Bloody Mary takes 5 min of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes 1 drink. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Bloody Mary?
Yes, within limits. Gin in place of vodka, which makes a Red Snapper. Any hot sauce in place of Tabasco.
What is the most important thing to get right in Bloody Mary?
Use freshly squeezed lemon juice rather than bottled. The acid is what stops the drink tasting flat and heavy, and bottled juice tastes dull in comparison.
