Monday, Bloody Monday

Ahh, the Bloody Mary! The favorite drink of the "morning after" and the airport bar! It may solely exist as one of two (along with the mimosa) excuses to drink before noon!Your "basic" Bloody Mary is a spicy concoction of tomato juice, salt, pepper, worcestershire sauce, and of course, vodka. Throw in a stalk of celery and there you are!

The history of the Bloody Mary sounds like a game of Clue! Was it invented by Fernand Petiot in Paris in the 1920's? Was it George Jessel in New York in 1939? Was in Professor Plum in the Library with a pipe? I am leaning towards Petiot. He did make his way to bartending at New York's St. Regis in 1934 and one social columnist did refer to his cocktail, then called a "Red Snapper," as a mixture of "half vodka, half tomato juice."

The origin of the Bloody Mary name is subject to dispute as well.Legends, none fully substantiated as far as I can research, attribute the name to such historic and legenday figures as Queen Mary I of England, Hollywood's Mary Pickford, or even the the frightening namesake of the children's dare where they say her name in the mirror.

Of course anything as simple as this can be expanded upon. Over the years countless variations have appeared. A few of note include the Bloody Margaret made with Gin, Bloody Maria with Tequila, and a Bloody Molly with Irish Whiskey. The Bloody Bull sees the addition of Beef Bouillon and a Bloody LeRoy even replaces the tomato juice with BBQ sauce.

My favorite variation on this classic is the Surf and Turf Bloody Mary. I have always loved a great shrimp garnish in mine and I was looking for a way to make it even more of a meal. With proper planning you can cut out that brunch all together! Here is my recipe:

SURF AND TURF BLOODY MARY
2 oz Vodka
4 oz Bloody Mary Mix (see below)
ICE
Rim Old Bay Seasoning (or other crab boil) & Black Pepper
Garnish:
1 each Celery Stalk
1 long piece Beef Jerky
1 each Jumbo Shrimp Cooked
1 each Green Olive, stuffed with Bleu Cheese and Bacon
1 each Green Olive, stuffed with Cream Cheese and Caviar

Rim a pint glass with crab boil and black pepper mixture. Fill another pint glass with ice, add vodka and bloody mary mixture. Shake to chill and crack ice. Transfer to “seasoned” pint glass. Garnish with a long celery stalk, beef jerky, and a skewer of stuffed olives and shrimp.

BLOODY MARY MIX
(BULK)
32 oz Good Quality Tomato Juice
¼ cup Worcestershire Sauce
2 tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
2 tablespoons Tabasco Sauce
1 tablespoon Red Pepper Flake
1 tablespoon Course Ground Black Pepper
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning (or Celery Salt)
¼ cup Prepared Horseradish

In a blender combine all ingredients and blend for one minute. Keep covered and refrigerated up to 5 days.