Bloody Mary

The official recipe is that of the International Bartenders Association (IBA), which counts the Bloody Mary among the Contemporary Classics. The IBA prescribes 45 ml vodka, 90 ml tomato juice, 15 ml fresh lemon juice and two dashes of Worcestershire sauce. You add Tabasco, celery salt and pepper to taste. So those last three are deliberately not a fixed measure: you decide the seasoning yourself. The ratio of vodka to tomato juice is one to two. If you recreate the recipe at home, keep to that ratio and only adjust the seasonings.

You need one spirit: vodka. The rest comes from the kitchen.

• Vodka: the base, 45 ml per cocktail.
• Tomato juice: 90 ml, the largest part of the glass.
• Fresh lemon juice: 15 ml.
• Worcestershire sauce: two dashes.
• Tabasco, celery salt and pepper: to taste.
• Ice: for stirring in the mixing glass.
• Celery and lemon: optional as garnish.

Because the vodka is the only spirit in the recipe, the bottle you choose helps determine how the cocktail turns out.

You stir a Bloody Mary, you do not shake it. The IBA prescribes stirring all ingredients gently in a mixing glass with ice and then pouring the cocktail into a rocks glass. If someone asks for ice in the glass, the cocktail goes into a highball glass according to the IBA. As garnish the IBA mentions a stalk of celery and a wedge of lemon, both optional. Start with little Tabasco and pepper: you can always add more seasoning, but you cannot take it back. Have the glass and garnish ready before you start stirring, so the cocktail can be served immediately.

The Bloody Mary is attributed to the French barman Fernand Petiot, who is said to have devised it around 1921 at Harry's New York Bar in Paris. According to the same tradition he brought the cocktail to the King Cole Bar of the St. Regis Hotel in New York in 1934. The American comedian George Jessel is also named as inventor: in 1939 a newspaper column described his drink as half tomato juice, half vodka. Several stories exist about the name, including a reference to Queen Mary I of England. None of those stories has been conclusively proven.

The best-known variant is the Red Snapper, with gin instead of vodka. According to tradition it originated in New York because vodka was hard to get there at the time. In the Bloody Maria blanco tequila replaces the vodka. The alcohol-free version is called Virgin Mary: you follow the same recipe and just leave out the vodka. Glass, garnish and seasoning stay the same, so the Virgin Mary can stand at the table next to the Bloody Mary.

The shop on the Brink stocks 50 bottles of vodka. Because vodka is the only spirit in a Bloody Mary, it pays to choose the bottle deliberately. You need 45 ml per cocktail; the rest of the glass is tomato juice, lemon juice and seasoning. On the label you can see the alcohol percentage and often also the raw material the vodka is distilled from. Not sure which vodka suits your recipe, or would you like gin or tequila too for a Red Snapper or Bloody Maria? We will gladly think along with you. Call 0570 541 278 or drop by at Brink 2 in Bathmen.

The shop is at Brink 2 in Bathmen. Open Tuesday to Friday from 09.00 to 18.00 and Saturday from 09.00 to 17.00. For advice, call 0570 541 278 or email info@bockje.nl.