By the first decade of the 20th century, the North American lifestyle was already taking hold. The rhythm of nighttime partying was growing, swing was booming and cocktail bars were beginning to become popular.
On a historical and political level, the president of the United States, Thomas Woodrow Wilson, proposed in the Treaty of Versailles the creation of the League of Nations, an organization that sought to prevent further misfortunes caused by war and that laid the foundations for the creation of the UN decades later.
However, when the American Congress decides not to ratify the treaty, the society plunges into a couple of decades of isolation from the rest of the Western world. The excuse was that the United States already had many internal problems, that it was time to look inward and stop focusing on Europe and the outside world.
Added to this was a strong movement in favor of the prohibition of alcohol, which would lead to the famous Prohibition. This resulted in an industry that would only have to go underground to continue functioning. Another alternative was to emigrate to Europe, as many of the owners of these “cocktail bars” did.
It is in this context that an American jockey who owns a bar in Manhattan decides to buy a bistro in Paris and found the New York Bar (later renamed with the name with which it has gone down in history: Harry’s Bar). This establishment will become a popular place for personalities of the caliber of Ernest Hemingway.
As The New Yorker points out, it will also be there where the mixologist Ferdinand Petiot (known as “Pete”) will create the famous Bloody Mary, although some voices argue that previously vodka was already drunk with tomato juice.
The story goes like this: One fine day in 1921, Petiot decided to mix equal parts vodka and tomato juice. After trying it, one of the restaurant’s customers said that it reminded her of a waitress from Chicago who was nicknamed Bloody Mary because of her character, so she stuck with that name.
Regarding its name, another version rescues its inspiration from Queen Mary I of England, Mary of Tudor, popularly known as Bloody Mary for the harsh repression to which she subjected the Anglicans in her attempt to restore Catholicism in the kingdom.
Years later, the bartender returned to New York and continued serving it in the King Cole Room of the St. Regis Hotel. But initially this cocktail did not conquer New Yorkers, as they considered it somewhat bland. It was then that Petiot had the idea of ??adding pepper, Perrins sauce, lemon and Tabasco, creating the most widespread cure for hangovers to date.
What makes it so controversial is that it is a salty drink. But not salty like a Margarita topped with salt, but salty in itself. Vodka, tomato juice, a tablespoon of lemon juice, a little Tabasco, Perrins sauce, salt and pepper. There are those who maintain that tomato juice and a shot of vodka resurrect a dead person, no matter how hungover he or she may be.
But there is an essential ingredient that distinguishes a good Bloody Mary from a superior one and that is not used much in Spain: horseradish (also known as horseradish or armoracia rusticana, by its scientific name). Two tablespoons in the mix make a difference and, if you don’t find it fresh, you can substitute it with horseradish sauce.
It is also advisable to use celery salt to frost the tall glass, which is then filled with ice. Add the ingredients to the shaker with ice, shake a little and serve. Then you can use as decoration a stalk of celery and/or a skewer with olives, chillies, onions, shrimp or whatever you like, there is freedom for the imagination.
Nowadays almost every renowned bar has its own Bloody Mary. Following the line of vodka-tomato-spicy, each bar cooks its preparation differently, adding this or that product and presenting the drink with edible decorations (because it really is a drink that whets the appetite) that attract the attention of whoever looks at it. .
Like every classic it assumes variants; If it is with tequila it is Bloody Maria, if it does not have alcohol it is a Virgin Mary and if we change the vodka for gin it is a Red Snapper. In Central America, the Michelada became especially famous, where the base alcohol is beer.
