Bloody Mary

Historical Perspective

Ferdinand Petiot claimed he invented his Bloody Mary in 1921 in Harry's New York Bar, Paris. Combining vodka and tomato juice was not new in those days, adding condiments like lemon juice, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce was. Another spirited tale maintains that it was actor George Jessel that created the drink. In 1964 the New Yorker magazine found Petiot corroborating Jesse's claim, quoting Petiot as: " I initiated the Bloody Mary of today. George Jessel said he created it, but it was really nothing but vodka and tomato juice when I took it over. I cover the bottom of the shaker with four large dashes of salt, two dashes of cayenne pepper and a layer of Worcestershire sauce. I then add a dash of lemon juice and some cracked ice, put in two ounces of vodka and two ounces of thick tomato juice, shake, strain and pour." The Bloody Mary is often considered as "the world's most complex cocktail," bartenders seeking varieties with ingredients such as consommé (or bouillon), peri-peri sauce, celery salt, curry, and horseradish. Petiot moved to the United States of America in 1925. After residing in Canton, Ohio, where he met his wife, Petiot was asked in 1934 to become Head Bartender of the St. Regis Hotel in New York, by its owner John Astor. Petiot (unsuccessfully) re-introduced his recipe as the St. Regis under the name Red Snapper, adding lemon juice and Tobasco sauce, after encountering Prince Serge Obolensky. Petiot worked at the St. Regis, becoming one of New York's most popular bartenders, until his retirement in 1966. Returning to Canton, he maintained an occasional bar-shift at the local Mergus Restaurant. Born in Paris, on 18 February 1900, Ferdinand Petiot died in Canton (Ohio) in 1975, at the age of 74.