The Bloody Mary

If you have been following this blog for awhile, you more than likely remember the post on Infused Vodka where I describe my process for infusing Vodka for Bloody Mary's.

My original interest, much like other cocktail interest, was peeked by two bartenders, Martin of the Plaza Mariot and Neva from Bobbers at the Lake of the Ozark. Those two really taught me a lot and made me appreciate that a real Bloody Mary does not come in a bottle of pre-mix.

I have also been on a rant lately when ordering a Bloody Mary in a pub only to find out it is made with a mix. So I volunteered to do a presentation  this past weekend to set the record straight and show you how easy it is to make a Bloody Mary with ingredients you already have on hand.

The Bloody Mary has  has been called "the world's most complex cocktail". Which does not mean it is that hard to make.

What do you normally have in your refrigerator?

Including Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, beef bouillon, horseradish, celery, olives, , lemon juice, salsa.

What do you normally have in your spice rack?

Salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper,  celery salt, oregano 

Before we go any further on creating a Bloody Mary here is a little history.

Origins:

Fernand Petiot claimed to have invented the Bloody Mary in 1921, well before any of the later claims. He was working at the New York Bar in Paris at the time, which later became Harry's New York Bar, a frequent Paris hangout for Ernest Hemingway and other American expatriates. 

Harry's Bar also claims to have created numerous other classic cocktails, including the White Lady and the Side Car.

James Rollins writes in the "What's True, What's Not" section of his Sigma Force novel 6.5: The Skeleton Key (2010) that the Bloody Mary was invented in the Hemingway Bar at The Ritz Paris.

New York's 21 Club has two claims associated with it. One is that it was invented in the 1930s by a bartender named Henry Zbikiewicz, who was charged with mixing Bloody Marys. 

So what to do now? Well you have to start with a base such as tomato juice, Clamato Juice, or V8. 

Here is a good process:

Fill a pint glass with ice and add

Vodka and anything you may have on hand that you really like

Then roll into another pint glass to mix.

Garnishes

Celery

Pickles

Beef Sticks

Olives

Peperoni Stick

Jalepenos

Pepperchini

My Favorite, Bacon

Closing Note

So was the Bloody Mary the "Original Eye Opener?"

Could be, however if you look at the time line of the Bloody Mary and the Old Fashioned you can make a strong argument that the Old Fashioned actually was the first morning cocktail.

In his book, "The Old Fashioned" Albert Schmid states "The Old Fashioned was originally consumed in the morning, as were other cocktails. The cocktail may have served the function of dealing with a hangover, providing a little "Hair of the Dog". The idea is that when  you wake up in the morning with a hangover, you drink a little of whatever you were drinking the night before to relieve the discomfort. 

Even if the Old Fashioned was not specifically designed to treat a hangover, its creator included everything needed to do so; the whiskey helps to take the edge off, the suger helps to raise blood sugar levels, the bitters settle the stomach and the citris peel adds a pleasant aroma."

Now get to mixing

Cheers
The Professor