Is There Really A Cocktail Named After Englands Bloodiest Queens?
Next in our series of classic cocktails perfect for Hallowe’en we have …
A Bloody Mary
Just saying Bloody Mary out loud sends shivers down my spine. Repeat it three times standing in front of a mirror and apparently someone will present you a vodka and spicy tomato juice mixed together with a stick of celery. I might have that slightly wrong but I always wondered what one of the fiercest queens in British history had to do with a Sunday morning hangover cure.
Back in the 1920s, Fernand Petiot, an American bartender based at Harry's New York Bar in Paris, took it upon himself to mix together equal parts vodka and tomato juice. Mmm, I wonder why? I want to get inside his head to comprehend how he came up with this concoction. It is easy to forget that in the 20’s, canned tomato juice was something new and exciting, coming out of the States as a Prohibition-friendly ‘cocktail’, therefore something worth experimenting with. Vodka would have been introduced by Russian émigrés fleeing Communist Russia and arriving in their spiritual homeland, France. Maybe it was just serendipity that brought these two main components together but what about the name? Yes, well this isn’t any easier to get to the bottom of either. It has been called the Bucket of Blood – named after a Chicago Club – sounds fun, also named the Red Snapper but the origin of the Bloody Mary bit is not clear either.
As far as I can work out, and sorry to disappoint, there is no direct link to one of the bloodiest queens in British history.
Was it just named after someone called Mary? Clearly not a friend.
Well, that has sorted that out or not! The good news is that someone along the way spiced it up to turn it into the best Sunday morning drink bar none!
The here’s the Madam Geneva & Gent Bloody Mary recipe for two…
What you will need:
100ml best quality vodka
500ml tomato juice
1 tbsp lemon juice
Worcestershire sauce to taste
Tabasco to taste
A pinch of celery salt
A pinch of black pepper
An optional pinch of horseradish (or grated fresh horseradish)
2 celery sticks to serve
2 slices of lemon
Method
Fill a large jug or pitcher with lots of ice. Measure the vodka, tomato juice and lemon juice and pour it straight over the ice.
Next add 2-3 good shakes of Worcestershire sauce and the same of Tabasco (adding more if you like it very spicy. Also try the smoked version – it is very good!)
Finish off with a pinch of celery salt and pepper.
Stir until cold, then strain the cocktail into 2 tall glasses
Fill two highball glasses with fresh ice, add a celery stick and a slice of lemon
Enjoy.