Add dashes of Worcestershire Sauce, Tabasco , salt and pepper into highball glass, then pour all ingredients into highball with ice cubes. Stir gently. Garnish with Celery Salt and lemon wedge (optional).
The origin of the Bloody Mary is somewhat disputed. One claim states that it was originally created by George Jessel around 1939. Lucius Beebe, in his gossip column "This New York" (New York Herald Tribune, December 2, 1939, page 9), printed what is believed to be the first reference to this drink, along with the original recipe: "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."citation needed
Frenchman Fernand Petiot corroborates that George Jessel first created the drink and name, and that he (Petiot) merely added the spices to the plain vodka and tomato juice drink. From the New Yorker Magazine, July 1964:
“I initiated the Bloody Mary of today,” he told us. “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; I then add a dash of lemon juice and some cracked ice, put in two ounces of vodka and two ounces of thick tomato juice, shake, strain, and pour. We serve a hundred to a hundred and fifty Bloody Marys a day here in the King Cole Room and in the other restaurants and the banquet rooms.”
Garnished with a shrimp.
Origin of the term
The epithet "Bloody Mary" is associated with a number of historical (particularly Queen Mary I of England) and fictional women, especially from folklore. It is believed that inspiration for the cocktail was the Hollywood star Mary Pickford who earlier had a similar cocktail consisting of rum, Grenadine and Maraschino named after her.
In 1934, the cocktail was called "Red Snapper" at the St. Regis Hotel, where Petriot was hired at the time. It was here that tabasco sauce was added to the drink, and the name "Bloody Mary" eventually won popularity. In the 1960s it became popular to serve the cocktail with celery due to a guest at The Pump Room at the Ambassador East Hotel in Chicago.
The name likely refers to the blood-like color of the cocktail.
While there is not much complexity in mixing vodka and tomato juice, more elaborate versions of the drink have become trademarks of the bartenders who make them. A common garnish is a celery stalk when served in a tall glass, often over ice. A beer chaser may also be served with the Bloody Mary, although this varies from region to region.
Ingredients
Bloody Mary recipe courtesy of the New York School of Bartending:
May be shaken vigorously or stirred lazily, as desired. Garnish with a celery stalk; a skewer of olives, pickles, carrots, mushrooms, or other vegetables; or even meat or fish (salami, shrimp, etc.) and cheese (see photos). Occasionally, pickled asparagus spears or pickled beans are also used.
Prepackaged Bloody Mary mixes that combine the spicy, non-alcoholic components of a Bloody Mary are commercially available.
Variations
Variations in alcohol
Bloody Philip
Thailand Lao Khao (literally white liquor) 80 proof, rice distilled, replacing vodka in equal measure
Beer replacing vodka, usually in a 50/50 mixture with Clamato in place of the tomato juice.
Red Hammer
Through the 1950s in the NortheasternU.S., while vodka was scarce, gin instead of vodka was known as a Bloody Mary; once vodka became readily available in those regions, the traditional vodka-based Bloody Mary was known as a Red Hammer for a time
Caesar, Bloody Caesar, Bloody Clam, Red Wings or Clammy Mary
Clamato replacing tomato juice, much more popular in Canada than the traditional Bloody Mary.
Bloody Eight or Eight Ball
V8 replacing tomato juice, or a mixture, usually equal parts
Variation in drink format
Frozen Bloody Mary
Placed in a blender with ice.
Flaming Bloody Mary
A small amount of 151 rum is floated on top and a string hangs outside the glass and is ignited for a cold weather drink.
Flaming, Frozen Bloody Mary
A frozen Bloody Mary is topped with 151 rum and ignited. Also called "Bloody Fire and Ice". (Note be sure to use a ceramic mug to avoid shattered glass)
Miscellaneous
Bloodless Mary
Without tomato juice
Bleeding Mary
Without tomato juice, 1:1 tabasco to vodka.
Screaming Emo
Traditional Bloody Mary, but with a habanero pepper added to it for more heat.
Screw Mary
Equal parts vodka, orange juice, and tomato juice or V8, spiced to taste.