Deconstructing the Bloody Mary

A Bloody Mary is a popular cocktail containing vodka, tomato juice, and usually other spices or flavorings such as Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, piri piri sauce, beef consomme or bouillon, horseradish, celery, olive, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and celery salt. It has been called “the world’s most complex cocktail.”

The Bloody Mary’s origin is unclear. Fernand Petiot claimed to have invented the drink in 1921 while working at the New York Bar in Paris, which later became Harry’s New York Bar, a frequent Paris hangout for Ernest Hemingway and other American expatriates. Another story maintains that actor George Jessel created the drink around 1939. In 1939, Lucius Beebe printed in his gossip column This New York one of the earliest U.S. references to this drink, along with the original recipe: “George Jessel’s newest pick-me-up which is receiving attention from the town’s paragraphers is called a Bloody Mary: half tomato juice, half vodka.”

Fernand Petiot seemed to corroborate Jessel’s claim when the bartender spoke to The New Yorker magazine in July 1964, saying:

“I initiated the Bloody Mary of today,” he told us. “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 black pepper, 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. We serve a hundred to a hundred and fifty Bloody Marys a day here in the King Cole Room and in the other restaurants and the banquet rooms.”

I not will be as complex in my deconstruction. My goal is a simple appetizer / hors d’oeuvres to grace the table for an upcoming event.

Deconstruction is a term thrown around in food preparation. It’s “chef speak” for re-creating a dish. When chef’s talk about “deconstructing” that means to take the original recipe to a new level. Literally, taking it apart and putting it back together again. In this case a cocktail is broken down to it’s constituent parts and prepared for serving in a new fashion

Preparation

1. Perforate Tomatoes with skewer
2. Add all to a non-reactive container
3. Mix to coat
4. Refrigerate 24-48 hours

Serve in a jumbo martini glass, with flavored dipping salts.
Reserve marinade / Vodka for Bloody Mary’s.