Here you go: the easiest cocktail to make yourself
At the words ‘cocktail’ and ‘make yourself’, most people panic, and we completely understand. Because not everyone has a kitchen full of jiggers, muddlers and fine strainers. Good news: you don’t need any of that for a Bloody Mary either.
Bloody Mary is pretty much the tiramisu of cocktails. The kind of drink you can always fall back on when you no longer know what to choose from the cocktail menu (or from life in general). And it’s also unbelievably delicious and dead easy to make yourself.
Vodka and tomato juice
Opinions differ on the origins of the famous vodka and tomato juice cocktail. Most cocktail experts lean towards the story of bartender Fernand ‘Pete’ Petiot. He is said to have developed the drink in 1921 at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris by combining equal parts vodka and tomato juice. It was initially called ‘The bucket of blood’.
Tabasco for a kick
After Prohibition, around 1934, Petiot moved to the St. Regis Hotel in New York. His cocktail was a big hit there. But could it perhaps be a little spicier? No problem for Pete, who promptly added some Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, a little lemon and Tabasco. That’s how the Bloody Mary really came into being.
Celery as the finishing touch
Years later, when a female guest at a bar in Chicago was served her Bloody Mary without a stirrer, she grabbed a stalk of celery from the bar’s garnish tray. She stirred her cocktail with it, and the perfection of the Bloody Mary was complete.
And the nickname ‘hair of the dog’? It is attributed to the cocktail’s supposed healing properties, which make a hangover (or dog) disappear like snow in the sun. Fact or fiction? That’s up to you. Cheers!
Make your own Bloody Mary
- Fill your large glass with ice cubes
- Add the vodka and tomato juice
- Add the fresh lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt, ground pepper and horseradish
- Stir and garnish with the celery
TIP: Go Asian by replacing the celery with a crunchy strip of seaweed and adding a little wasabi powder and soy sauce to your vodka and tomato juice. Surprisingly delicious!
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