That commingling of early morning drink and food items has even become so entwined that nowadays we see some restaurants creating architectural monstrosities, with garnishes towering over the drink that includes numerous menu items, from bacon to seafood and even mini burgers. These are not mere cocktails, but secondary drinks festooned with entire meals.

Taking the Sunday recovery method to extremes, we have made the Bloody Mary an engineering marvel.
This is why other countries despise us, and why we do not care. pic.twitter.com/161ixwPNzb

— Brad Slager: CNN+ Lifetime Subscriber (@MartiniShark) January 30, 2023

But if you are interested in just the foundational drink there is plenty to be had to give you the needed satisfaction. So let us follow the bloodline of this beloved breakfast drink.

The Defined Creator With a Questionable Lineage

Unlike many other bar ingredients, tomato juice seems almost relegated solely to the creation of this lone cocktail (or its numerous variants, based on the alcohol selected.) The Bloody Mary has become something that is both a staple and one that has just about any permutation of the recipe deemed to be acceptable. 

There is a core list of items to be included: the tomato juice and alcohol base, the inclusion of spices, meaty sauces, and salted rims are expected, with the traditional celery stalk as the garnish. From there, deviations emerge and these are based on either the drinker’s preferences, the establishment’s signatures, and possibly both. The occluded history of the drink lends itself to interpretations, so long as you do not depart too far from the home base.

As is usually the case with the historical provenance of most potables, there is a bit of a checkered and debated history, while at the same time, a common name is regarded as the source. That would belong to famed French bartender Fernand Petiot. He is credited either with the creation of or the popularization of the drink we have come to savor. The whens and the wheres, and even the whos, are hazy details, but for the most part, Petiot is attached to the Bloody Mary.

Toss in a famed author, a popular comedian, and any number of female muses, and suddenly you have a legendary drink that is based on a number of legends. We begin in Paris, where Fernand was plying his trade in Harry’s New York Bar, during the prohibition era of the 1920s. Vodka had made its way through Europe and it is said the bartender was looking for new ways to employ the then-new spirit. Eventually, he settled on mixing it with US-made canned tomato juice, with other spices added in. One traveling American christened the drink after a Chicago nightclub, so it was called the Bucket of Blood.

Ernest Hemmingway, a patron at Harry’s, is said to have inspired the drink as Petiot had been charged with concocting an alcoholic beverage that would not be detected on the writer’s breath, as he was dating a woman named Mary who was not fond of Papa’s proclivity for drinking. Hemingway is even said to have made up his own recipe, to be made by the pitcher, with a pint of tomato juice and a pint of vodka, with spices added to proper approval.

By the 1930s, Petiot was lured over to New York, running the bar at the St. Regis Hotel, where his cocktail took on a newfound popularity and became more widespread, originally known as The Red Snapper. BUT — years later the accepted name became Bloody Mary, and an ad campaign by Smirnoff Vodka featured entertainer George Jessel, with the ad copy that had the comedian declaring he named the drink after a female acquaintance.

This was when Petiot tried reclaiming his drink, declaring he had crafted it years earlier — but not in the 1920s, as some have thought. This is backed by one drink historian, who disputes the availability of canned tomato juice in France during those years. Even with varying claims of creation, most feel that Petiot is credited with giving the Bloody Mary components as we are familiar with today their rightful origin. 

Concocting a Grand Start To Any Day

While even the original recipe is a murky detail, it is largely accepted that this is the core starting base: Tomato juice, vodka, salt, pepper, Worcestershire Sauce, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. From this blueprint, things can get as creative as an auto mechanic making modifications to a hot rod. While your personal taste is preeminent, one recommendation – do not go with the pre-made Bloody Mary mixes. Any time saved is fully compromised by quality, and your creativity is hampered.

The cayenne is frequently supplanted with Tabasco. Lime can replace the lemon, or be added. The celery stalk was said to have arrived decades later, and now celery salt is a frequent addition. And all of these ingredients are freely used in varying measurements, depending on preferences, food pairing, and headache relief. As an example, here is my preferred version at home:

• V8 Juice, 2 shots of vodka (5X distilled, or greater), juice of half a lime, fresh ground pepper, and Tabasco Chipotle sauce. I’ll rim a tall Collins glass with celery salt, and add a thin stalk of celery and a bacon slice. By about my third glass I’ll be capable of proper human interaction.

There are a number of named variants to this drink, mostly due to the alteration of the liquor, but all essentially use a similar foundation.

Bloody Maria – Tequila is used in place of vodka

Red Snapper – Gin is used in place of vodka

Bloody Ceasar – Clamato Juice in place of tomato juice.

Michelada – Light Mexican beer is used in place of vodka

Bloody Bull – Beef bouillon is added to the mix

The Red Oyster – A half-shell oyster is added with Old Bay seasoning on a rimmed glass

Amber Moon Mary – (a pure hangover concoction) A raw egg yolk is added, and rye whiskey used in place of vodka

The main thing to focus on is your personal preferences and those of your guests. This is a great way to start off any weekend morning, but these are substantial enjoyments any time of day. Depending on your needs, this drink can meet expectations for just about anyone.