First of all, Happy New Year to everyone! Well, as every year, we start it by celebrating Bloody Mary Day. And it is no coincidence that January 1st has been chosen as Bloody Mary Day. Since it is a cocktail with years of history; to which wonderful anti-hangover powers are attributed due to its ingredients. So to celebrate this day, let’s learn a little more about this great vodka and tomato juice cocktail. We will also get to know some versions of it.
But before we begin, what is the Bloody Mary?
The Bloody Mary is a cocktail based on tomato juice, vodka, tabasco, salt and pepper. This salty cocktail is one of the most popular at Brunch time in the United States. It even surpasses the Mimosa cocktail, another must at American brunches.
Its original combination and ingredients make it a fantastic savory cocktail. According to many, in addition to alleviating the effects of hangovers, it is ideal to whet the appetite. That is why it is very common to drink it as an aperitif. In addition, its spicy touch gives it a spectacular flavor.
The Bloody Mary had its origins in the decade of the 20’s. This was the time when the prohibition of alcohol began in the United States, known as Prohibition, causing many owners of the increasingly popular “cocktail bars” had to go into exile to keep their premises open in other countries.
Thus, an American jockey, owner of one of these cocktail bars, decided to move his business to a bistro in Paris, where he founded the New Harry York. A place that managed to gain great fame. It is said that it was in this place where the cocktail maker Fernand Petiot created the Bloody Mary cocktail, but in its origins, this cocktail only had vodka and tomato juice.
Years later, the bartender returned to New York, where he began to serve his new cocktail, but without succeeding, as it did not conquer the palate of his customers, who considered it a somewhat bland cocktail. It was then that the authentic Bloody Mary as we know it today was born. Petiot decided to improve his cocktail by adding Worcestershire sauce, lemon, tabasco, pepper and salt.
Why is Bloody Mary Day celebrated on January 1st?
This day, like most of the events we find in the calendar, comes from the United States. There, the Bloody Mary is a very popular and important cocktail, so it could not go without its own day on the calendar. And, although we have done a lot of research on the origins of this day, we have not come to know its creator. He could well have been a Bloody Mary enthusiast looking for an excuse to have his favorite drink. Or, like many other ephemeris, it could also be a great and effective marketing strategy to make this cocktail more popular.
On the choice of the day, many are those who argue that this cocktail is perfect to combat hangovers. Thanks to its mix of ingredients and its slightly spicy touch, the Bloody Mary is ideal to recompose the body when we have a hangover. That is why it is a very popular drink to have at brunch, and even more so after a big party like New Year’s Eve. Although in reality, there is no evidence behind these claims. In fact, we must not forget that it is still an alcoholic beverage. Undoubtedly, tomato juice with lemon juice and some spices are a perfect hangover remedy, but avoid adding more alcohol.
How to make an authentic Bloody Mary?
Do you also want to start the year by trying the miraculous effect of the Bloody Mary cocktail for hangovers and, moreover, celebrate its day? Here is the recipe to make a perfect Bloody Mary.
You will see that preparing this cocktail is very simple. We don’t even need a cocktail shaker. We are going to mix the ingredients delicately with a spoon.
Bloody Mary cocktail recipe
Ingredients
- 2/3 Cup Tomato juice
- 1/4 Cup Vodka
- 2 Tbsp Lemon juice
- 2-3 drops Perrins sauce
- 1-2 drops tabasco (depending on how spicy you want it)
- 1 pinch salt
- Pepper
- Ice
- 1-2 celery sticks
Instructions
- For this cocktail a cocktail shaker is not necessary, since we will mix it gently with a spoon, nothing to shake it abruptly. You can use a large pitcher or glass, to mix it comfortably, like the one in the image.
- In a mixing glass add the ice (about 3/4 of the capacity of our mixing glass). Add the vodka and tomato juice and mix lightly with a spoon.Squeeze the lemon juice (being careful not to get the seeds), add a few drops of Perrins sauce, salt and pepper.2/3 Cup Tomato juice, 1/4 Cup Vodka, 2 Tbsp Lemon juice, 2-3 drops Perrins sauce, 1 pinch salt, Pepper, Ice
- To finish our Bloody Mary, add the Tabasco (try not to overdo it, because if it is too spicy, you will not be able to rectify), and continue stirring lightly with the spoon.Before serving be sure to taste it, in case you have to correct the salt or if you want it a little spicier.To finish our cocktail, serve your Bloody Mary in tall glasses, without pouring the ice, garnish with the slice of lemon and a sprig of celery.1-2 drops tabasco, 1-2 celery sticks
Notes
We take the glass and moisten the rim with lime juice, then we will put the rim of the glass on a plate in which we have previously added a little coarse salt, so that it sticks to the rim of the glass. We can also add a slice of lime on the rim of the glass. Once served in the glass, I like to add a little more pepper on top, as decoration.
NOTE: If you want to show off with this cocktail in a family reunion or with friends, do not skimp on the quality of the tomato juice or vodka, as it will greatly improve our cocktail to use good ingredients.
Nutrition
Why is it called Bloody Mary?
There are many versions that exist today about the name of the Bloody Mary. The least popular one, since it completely changes the history of the origin of this cocktail, tells that George Jessel, a well-known Broadway comedian was the one who baptized this cocktail. Jessel claims the authorship of the cocktail and said that, one day with a hangover, he began to mix different drinks from the minibar of the hotel suite where he was staying.
She came up with this delicious mixture and wanted to share it with her friend Mary, who was in the next room. Her friend, while pouring the glasses, accidentally spilled it; to which Jessel exclaimed: “Bloody, Mary!”, that is to say, “Damn it, Mary!”, thus giving her new cocktail its name.
Another version, this one more widespread, tells that it was its creator, Fernand Petiot, who baptized this cocktail. While he was creating the mixture in front of his customers, they laughingly began to invent increasingly bloody names, until they came up with Bloody Mary. Although these are not the only versions. Others claim that it was a regular customer, the singer Roy Barton, who baptized this drink, as it reminded him of his girlfriend.
And finally, many others argue that its name comes from Queen Mary I of England, who earned the nickname Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, due to the strong repression she led against Protestants and Anglicans.
Some versions to celebrate Bloody Mary Day in a different way
If after so much history you have been encouraged to celebrate Bloody Mary Day, here are some other versions of this spectacular cocktail:
- Bloody Maria, is the Mexican version of the cocktail. The vodka is replaced by tequila.
- Red Snapper, where Gin is used instead of vodka.
- Michelada. The Michelada is very popular throughout Central America, the difference is that the base alcohol is beer.
- Bloody Brown, made with Whisky.
- Bloody Pirate, with rum
- And Virgin Mary, the non-alcoholic version of the Bloody Mary.
- Did you know that in 2018 the world’s largest Bloody Mary was prepared?
How to celebrate this day in style
As we have already mentioned, along with the mimosa, it is one of the most popular cocktails to have at mid-morning. It is very popular at brunches. So if you want to celebrate this day in style, make your Bloody Mary and accompany it with some spectacular Eggs Benedict to start the year with a Brunch of ten.
And you, did you know about this Day? Do you want to celebrate it in style? If you liked it, remember to leave us your comments, ideas, opinions… We love to read you!
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