Depending on how you spent your New Year’s Day, you may feel like you need a Blood Mary right now. There are about as many variations to the Bloody Mary recipe as there are stories of how the classic brunch cocktail originated. Today, we’ll give you a little history lesson on where this drink was concocted and how it got its name.
According to the book, “The Bloody Mary”, author Brian Bartles explains how the Bloody Mary came to be. Many theories point to American bartender, Fernand “Pete” Petiot, as the creator of the drink that consisted of vodka and tomato juice. Petiot worked at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris in the 1920s and served alcohol-starved American expats (prohibition was going on at the time) and Russians who had fled the Russian Revolution and brought their vodka with them.
The name has many tales that go with it as well, from a patron who suggested that they call it “Bloody Mary” because it reminded him of the Bucket of Blood Club in Chicago and a woman named Mary who worked there, to naming it after Mary I Queen of England, according to the website, BestBloodyMary.com.
The story goes that Petiot didn’t start adding all the spices and seasonings until he started working at the King Cole Bar at the St. Regis Hotel in New York in 1934.
Regardless of its history, legend has it that a little hair of the dog might help your hangover.
The Ultimate Bloody Mary at the Beaver Creek Chophouse contains their infused vodka, which takes on the flavors of anaheim, jalapeno and caribe peppers. Specialty garnishes can include a little surf and turf – a large shrimp and house-made candied jalapeno bacon, and your choice of a draft beer as your chaser.