All you need to know about … Bloody Mary’s
The Bloody Mary is the number one brunch cocktail in the world. The refreshing tomato and vodka cocktail is believed by some to be a cure for a hangover but whether that is true or not, there’s no denying that the Bloody Mary is a delicious savoury drink. It even has its own day, with International Bloody Mary day falling, perhaps unsurprisingly on 1 January, just in time for those who have partied too hard on New Year’s Eve. Not only does the Bloody Mary have its own international day of celebration but it also has an interesting history. Learn more about this famous concoction, including whether it really can cure a hangover.
So why the name Bloody Mary? There’s a bit of conjecture around the name – the “bloody” comes from the similarity in colour of the primary ingredient tomato juice to blood. What becomes more difficult to answer is who is “Mary”? Over the years there have been different theories espoused about the namesake with Queen Mary I of England, film star Mary Pickford, and a waitress named Mary who worked at the Bucket of Blood bar in Chicago the top contenders.
Similarly, there are different theories about who invented the drink. Fernand Petiot, a Frenchman working at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris is often credited with inventing the drink in 1921. Other writers suggest that it was invented in the Hemingway Bar at The Ritz Paris or at New York’s 21 Club.
It might seem counterintuitive to try to fix a hangover with the very thing that gave you the hangover, alcohol. From a scientific perspective drinking more alcohol to try to cure a hangover is flawed because the alcohol will only dehydrate you further. So how has the Bloody Mary gotten its reputation as a hangover cure? It is the combination of a heavy vegetable base (tomato juice) and salt that can settle the stomach and replace electrolytes, as well as delivering Vitamins C and B6 that are both beneficial in reducing the effects of a hangover. So, while the non-alcohol components of a Bloody Mary may help you feel better, the vodka actually does nothing to help. If you really want to get rid of that hangover, a Virgin Mary is a better option.
