By: Scott Rittelmeyer, Little Rock, Arkansas
Question: Who is credited with making the first Bloody Mary?
Answer: Fernand “Pete” Petiot conceived the cocktail in the early 1920’s while working at the famed Harry’s Bar in Paris.
After Prohibition, Petiot brought the drink to Manhattan when he presided over the dapper King Cole Bar at the St. Regis Hotel. I have been to the King Cole Bar and had a Bloody Mary, it’s a great drink and an even better Bar- If you find yourself in the Big Apple I highly recommend the experience!
It was my freshman year in college when I had my first Bloody Mary. It was Snappy Tom Mix served in a red Solo cup the morning after a Fraternity party and prior to an early Saturday football game! I loved it! Over the years I began to experiment with different recipes, first I used Tomato juice, then I switched to V-8 juice, but they just didn’t seem to offer the consistency I wanted. About 15 years ago I was introduced to Clamato Juice, and I quickly realized it was the perfect base for my Bloody Mary!
All great drinks have a name, and I decided to personalize my mix – I call it “Mother-in-Law Mix”, as in you need to have one or maybe two before your Mother in Law arrives!
Anyway, I have had some fun with it – During the Christmas Holidays we fill mason jars with the mix and attach a label with an angry looking, well… Mother-in-Law and give to friends and neighbors. I work hard coming up with a new label every year!
Enough of that – Here’s the recipe:
Mother-In-Law Mix:
2 (32 ounce) containers of Clamato Juice
Juice of 2 limes
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
1/8 cup Louisiana Hot Sauce
1/8 cup Mezzetta Peperoncini juice (these are Greek peppers in a bottle)
1 bunch fresh cilantro chopped
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish (creamy type)
½ teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon of pepper
Process the cilantro (without the stems) in your Cuisinart until it’s almost a paste. Then combine the cilantro with the Clamato juice and stir in all the ingredients. I like to let it sit overnight in the refrigerator, and then I pour it through a strainer to take out all the sediment. Be sure to squeeze the cilantro by hand as you strain the mix, I believe this really helps the taste.
How many Bloody Marys’ have you had that you couldn’t finish because all the sediment was at the bottom for your glass? Not a problem with this recipe!
I have been told by many over the years that this is their favorite Blood Mary – Its spicy but not too spicy, Its hot but not too hot – and it sure comes in handy before my mother-in-law arrives!!
Enjoy!
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