Bloody Mary

A savory, tangy tall drink of vodka, tomato juice and lemon, seasoned with Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, celery salt and pepper.

9.8% ABV
Stirred
3 min
Highball glass
spicy
citrusy
refreshing
IBA official cocktail · Contemporary Classics

about 1 standard drink (US, 14 g of alcohol). Estimated after dilution with ice.

Ingredients

1½ ozVodka
3 ozTomato juice
½ ozFresh lemon juice
2 dashesWorcestershire sauce
2 dashesHot pepper sauceDash by dash, to the level of heat you like.
1 pinchCelery saltAdds salt and a celery note. Taste before adding more salt.
1 pinchBlack pepper

Ice: Ice cubes · Garnish: celery stalk, lemon

Method

Fill a mixing glass with ice cubes, and fill a highball glass with ice cubes as well.
Add 45 ml vodka, 90 ml tomato juice, 15 ml fresh lemon juice, 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce and 2 dashes of hot pepper sauce to the mixing glass.
Add a pinch of celery salt and a pinch of black pepper.
Stir gently for a few seconds to combine the ingredients without over-diluting the drink.
Pour into the ice-filled highball glass and garnish with a celery stalk and a lemon wedge.

Want it without alcohol? Try the alcohol-free version: Virgin Mary

Tips

Season in small steps: celery salt already adds salt, so taste before adding more, and add hot pepper sauce a dash at a time.
Use well-chilled tomato juice and fresh lemon juice for a cleaner, brighter taste.
Some bars gently pour the mix back and forth between two shaker tins instead of stirring with a spoon, to preserve the texture of the tomato juice. Avoid shaking hard.

History

The Bloody Mary is often credited to Fernand Petiot, a bartender who worked in Paris in the 1920s and later in New York, where a version was served under the name Red Snapper. Other origin stories exist, and the source of the name is not settled. The drink is now an IBA contemporary classic.