January 1, 2022
Anyone need a drink to ease in the new year?
The Bloody Mary has undergone something of a revival of late (who doesn’t love a bottomless brunch with a few of these on a Sunday)? The ultimate hangover cure, this is a dangerous cocktail to drink, since the tomato juice can often mask the taste of the alcohol. Before you know it, you are drunker than you intended to be and with a hangover that another Bloody Mary just can’t cure!
The most likely creator of the drink is French bartender Fernand Petiot. He originally claimed to have invented the drink in 1921 when working at the New York bar in Paris. At first, the drinks consisted of equal measures of tomato juice and vodka.
However, his story changed slightly later on…… He was head-hunted for a job in New York at the 21 Club and there he insisted that he created the drink in 1934, after George Jessel had laid claim to it. Jessel was a regular at the 21 Club in New York and is said to have made the drink in 1939. Upon hearing this news, Petiot back-tracked slightly, saying that Jessel may have introduced the vodka and tomato juice, but that he had turned it into the drink we know and love today. Adding a layer of black pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon juice and ice gave the drink that extra dimension which Petiot is keen to be remembered for.
Meanwhile, Henry Zbikiewic, a bartender at the 21 Club, also lays claim to the drink and is thought to have invented it in the 1930s. As with any classic cocktail, there is always more than one story, so it is up to you to decide who you believe!
Whoever invited the drink – this is how we make ours:
- 50ml vodka
- 75ml tomato juice
- 10ml dry sherry
- 10ml lemon juice
- Celery salt
- Black pepper
- Tabasco sauce
- Worcester sauce
Built the drink in a highball glass over ice, stir and garnish with a celery stick and a lemon wedge.
Cheers!