Bloody Mary
Bloody Mary
Vodka, tomato juice, and a personalised mix of savoury seasonings, built over ice and garnished to excess — the classic brunch cocktail created at Harry’s New York Bar in 1920s Paris.
About the Bloody Mary
The Bloody Mary is a savoury, umami-forward cocktail built on tomato juice and vodka, seasoned with lemon, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and celery salt. It’s one of the few classic cocktails that reads more like a savoury snack than a sweet or citrus-driven drink, and it’s become as much a brunch-table centerpiece as a hangover cure.
It’s widely credited to Fernand Petiot, a bartender at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, in the 1920s during Prohibition, when American expats sought out European bars for a legal drink. The earliest version was reportedly just vodka and tomato juice, nicknamed the “Red Snapper.” The name “Bloody Mary” is popularly linked to England’s Queen Mary I, remembered for her violent persecution of Protestants — though, as with many cocktail origin stories, alternate tales and claimants exist, including New York’s 21 Club and comedian George Jessel.
There’s no single fixed seasoning ratio industry-wide — it’s one of the most personalised, house-specific classics, with vodka acting mostly as a neutral backbone rather than a flavour driver.
The Classic Recipe
Classic Bloody Mary — Serves 1
- 50ml vodka
- 120ml tomato juice
- 15ml fresh lemon juice
- 2-3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 2-3 dashes hot sauce, to taste
- Pinch of celery salt and black pepper
- Celery stalk and lime wedge, to garnish
Method
- Fill a highball or pint glass with ice. Add the vodka, tomato juice, and lemon juice.
- Add Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, celery salt, and black pepper, and stir well.
- Garnish with a celery stalk and lime wedge and serve immediately.
Tips for the Best Bloody Mary
- Season to taste, every time. This is one of the most house-specific classics — start light on hot sauce and horseradish, then build up.
- Stir, don’t shake. A short shake or roll between glasses is fine, but hard shaking over-aerates the tomato juice and gives it an odd foamy texture.
- Make it fresh, not ahead. The balance of salt, heat, and acid is best judged just before serving rather than batched hours in advance.
- Don’t skimp on the garnish. A celery stalk and lime wedge are the minimum — a celery-salt rim adds another layer of flavour to every sip.
- Try a good-quality tomato juice. Since it’s the base of the drink, a rich, well-seasoned tomato juice makes more difference than the vodka does.
Popular Variations
Bloody Maria
Swaps tequila in for vodka, adding an earthy, agave-forward edge to the classic savoury profile.
Bloody Bull
Adds beef broth or consommé to the mix for a richer, even more savoury version, popular in New Orleans.
Bloody Caesar
Canada’s take swaps tomato juice for Clamato (a tomato-clam juice blend) for a briny twist on the original.
Michelada-Style
Beer-adjacent riffs use a similar spiced, savoury seasoning base but swap in beer instead of, or alongside, vodka.
Where to Buy
Because the seasoning balance is so personal, a good bottled mix is a genuinely useful shortcut for a consistent Bloody Mary.
Mr & Mrs T Bloody Mary Mix
A reliable, widely available mix with a balanced savoury-and-spice profile that works well straight from the bottle.
Check price on AmazonZing Zang Bloody Mary Mix
A bolder, spicier bar-favourite mix for anyone who wants more heat and depth without building their own seasoning stack.
Check price on AmazonHow to Serve
Glass: A tall highball or pint glass, giving room for both the drink and an elaborate garnish.
Ice: Served over ice, built directly in the glass rather than shaken and strained.
Batching for a crowd: Mix the tomato juice base and seasonings ahead of time in a large jug, but add the vodka and finish the seasoning to taste per glass, since preferences vary widely.
Related Database Entries
Explore the key ingredients and spirits in this cocktail: