Bloody heaven! Housemade mixes, hand-infused vodkas and new flavors generate a new era of Bloody Mary cocktails—and some cousins

Cheers, June, 2004 by Nancy Backas

Petiot brought the drink to New York as head barkeep at the St. Regis Hotel, but made it with gin instead of vodka (vodka was not widely available in the U.S. at the time) and renamed it the Red Snapper.

It became the Bloody Mary again when vodka appeared and gained a reputation as the perfect morning-after drink. But from the beginning, the cocktail has been tinkered with and spawned new versions: the Bloody Bull (made with orange juice and beef broth), the Bloody Caesar (with clam juice added), and the Bloody Maria (sangrita instead replacing tomato juice, and tequila the vodka), to name a few. Today's versions take more than a few liberties with the original recipe.

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While many restaurants do want to make their mark with signature mixes and juices, Bloody Mary mixes made by Tabasco, Mr. and Mrs. T, Island Oasis, Major Peters, Mr. Tomato and others, can create flavorful Bloody Marys without the extra labor and ingredient expense.

With the base ingredients of these prepared mixes, it's also easy to embellish the drink and make it a signature with the addition of a variety of ingredients. Last year, to establish the point, Mr. and Mrs. T's went to great lengths--and heights--to establish a new World's Record at the Hard Rock Cafe in New Orleans with the largest Bloody Mary ever served. Made with 2,400 gallons of Mr. and Mrs. T's Premium Bloody Mary Mix and 600 gallons vodka, it was served in a 15-foot glass with a 10-foot celery stick.

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Bloody Mary bars are not new, but they are showing up in more venues today than ever before. Dale DeGroff probably offered one of the first Bloody Mary bars each Sunday at the Rainbow Room, New York. He offered several choices of liquor including aquavit, vodka, tequila and gin; several choices of prepared juices in addition to his signature juice, Rainbow V-7 (a mix of tomato juice, celery juice, carrot juice, green pepper juice, red pepper juice, onion juice and fennel juice) and Green Gazpacho (cucumbers, red onions, jalapeno pepper, scallions, green bell peppers, celery, watercress, wheatgrass, gingerroot, lemon and lime juices, all pureed in a food processor), an array of crudites for garnish and a number of bottled hot sauces. He also offered clams, oysters and shrimp on crushed ice. "We'd float the shellfish in the drink when they were finished putting it together," he says.

Ric Orlando's Sunday brunch Bloody Mary Bar helps create a lively atmosphere. The bar is placed on a rolling raw bar decorated with carved wooden fish. Along with some signature infused vodkas, he also offers Skyy and Rain organic vodka. Other mix-ins include fresh horseradish, wasabi, Worcestershire, Busha Browne Pepper Sherry, Pick-A-Peppa sauce, seasoning mixes, hot sauces and a choice of garnishes including habanero-stuffed olives, jalapeno-stuffed olives, garlic-stuffed olives and jumbo olives.

"People have a good time with it and even the non-drinkers are amused by it," Orlando says. Servers give indulgers a 16-oz. glass and patrons make the drinks themselves for $7.50, with an extra $3 charge for an oyster.