Red Fever in New York: The Return of the Bloody Mary
It was in the 1920s, specifically in 1921, when the barman Fernand Pietot hit the first bloody mary mixing vodka, tomato juice, salt, pepper, lemon and Worcesteshire sauce. He started serving it to the prestigious patrons of the New York Bar in Paris. And when he moved to New York and started working at the St. Regis Hotel's King Cole Bar, he took the recipe with him, though he didn't start making it until a former customer asked “that cocktail you made in Paris”. So they started serving an average of 100 bloody marys a day. 850 are still serving now per month.
The cocktail that bears the name of " Bloody Mary" (or a tribute to Mary Pickford) is back in fashion in New York. The first bloody marys festival held in Brooklyn confirms it. Do not forget that we are in the city of the boozy brunch, the alcoholic brunch. And as you'll learn in this guide, if you didn't already know, a bloody mary and brunch are best friends.
HOW DO YOU DRINK?
What should the perfect bloody mary look like? The million dollar question. Everyone knows what theirs is like: more or less spicy, with more or less garnish, with more or less lemon, with vodka or gin, with Tabasco, with Sriracha, with Worcesteshire... In the end, what everyone is agree that and he secret is in the balance of all those details and ingredients. And, of course, without limiting creativity in this cocktail, yes, ALWAYS RED . We are not worth the experiments that take away the bloody (bloody) to Mary.
How it is drunk: well from Tabasco and well from red
WHEN DO YOU DRINK?
It will be because of its fame of "curing hangovers" (not scientifically proven, rather the opposite), but the bloody mary is drunk, especially, from the morning until the early afternoon . It is the perfect companion to the perfect brunch. In fact, it combines so well that some are turning the bloody mary into a full brunch in itself . And you were complaining about the gin and tonic salads.
In cities like Chicago the bloody mary fever has gotten so crazy that they even have hot god bloody mary and the most famous there, the High Mary . Yes, a fight against your cocktail that has as a dressing or garnish whatever the chef has around that day, from sandwiches to Vietnamese rolls and that costs $40.
Introducing the Sunda Sumo Mary from Rockit Ranch Productions on Vimeo.
WHERE DO YOU DRINK?
In New York you have to start by trying it at the bar that introduced it in 1934, and which still follows the recipe of its creator, Fernand Pietot: ** The King Cole Bar at the St. Regis Hotel **. there is called red snappers (red snapper), because the name bloody mary was too vulgar. At $25, you're drinking history.
The main bar of The King Cole Bar
In Burger & Barrell Wine Pub plus a long list of wines, now They have bloody marys menu. His chef Josh Capon, famous for his burgers, is now also famous for his bloody mary with bacon and jalapeno and other variations that won him the first red cocktail contest in New York last year.
And, as in so many other things, it is in Brooklyn where you will find the most innovative and decorated recipes , like the one at Lucky Luna with the trendy kimchi that they make themselves and nori (seaweed) . Or the Bloody Swan at the Black Swan with prawns, all kinds of pickles, bacon… Or the one at Crongress, with beef jerky (the Yankee version of jerky) and cheese. Or the Lobster Joint with, of course, a lobster leg.
*** You may also be interested in...**
- The best boozy brunches in New York
- The 19 most absurd gin and tonics of the year
And with a touch of... lobster