The Bloody Truth

These days the Bloody Mary can be enjoyed in many manifestations – with beer instead of tomato juice, extra spicy peppers, or even yogurt. The bottom line is to use your imagination. Tomato juice can stand up to a lot of experimentation, so have fun!

At one point or another every man should learn the proper art of mix and serve. Should the honing of this skill elude you, it is a must to attain the essential knowledge to get you by. Enter the Bloody Mary. Cure to the common hangover, staple of the brunch menu, and secret sauce of the weekend golfer, this concoction delivers an exhilarating kick like no other.

Most usually say make it "to taste", so once you find a recipe that works, stick with it! When it comes to the palette you will find that the difference between good and great is vast! For everything you have ever wanted to know about Bloody Mary’s, but were afraid to ask, visit http://www.drinksmix.net/.

For now, here are basics...

The Traditional Bloody Mary:

(with a secret twist)

1 1/2 ounces (1 jigger) vodka

1/2 cup tomato juice

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Worcestershire sauce to tasteTabasco to taste

1 celery stick for garnish
1 lemon wedge for garnish

The secret twist: A-1 sauce to taste - adds that extra zest!

Combine the vodka, the tomato juice, the lemon juice, the Worcestershire sauce, the Tabasco, the A-1, 1 cup ice cubes, and salt and pepper to taste, shake the mixture well, and strain it into a tall glass filled with ice cubes. Garnish the Bloody Mary with the celery stick and the lemon wedge.

The History:

http://www.drinksmix.net/bloody_mary_history.htm

Fernand Petiot, an expatriate who bartended at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris in the ‘20’s, is the famed inventor of the legendary Bloody Mary. The story goes that when he mixed the tomato juice and vodka, a patron suggested that the drink be named the Bloody Mary, because it was reminiscent of the Bucket of Blood Club in Chicago, and a girl there named Mary. Another account is that the drink is named after the lovely Bloody Mary herself, Queen Mary I, famous for her persecution of the Protestants.

Whatever the origins of the drink, it quickly became popular back in the US when Petiot began bartending at the St. Regis Hotel, and spiced it up for his classy New York clientele.