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The Bloody Mary: The Lore and Legend of a Cocktail Classic, with Recipes for Brunch and Beyond
Finalist for the 2018 International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Book Awards The definitive guide for those devoted to the brunchtime classic, the Bloody Mary, with 50 recipes for making cocktails at home.The Bloody Mary is one of the most universally-loved drinks. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and beyond, there simply isn't a wrong time for a Bloody.
In The Bloody Mary, author Brian Bartels—beverage director for the beloved West Village restaurants Jeffrey's Grocery, Joseph Leonard, Fedora, Perla, and Bar Sardine—delves into the fun history of this classic drink.(Did Hemingway create it, as legend suggests? Or was it an ornery Parisian bartender?)
More than 50 eclectic recipes, culled from top bartenders around the country, will have drinkers thinking outside the vodka box and taking garnishes to a whole new level.
In The Bloody Mary, author Brian Bartels—beverage director for the beloved West Village restaurants Jeffrey's Grocery, Joseph Leonard, Fedora, Perla, and Bar Sardine—delves into the fun history of this classic drink.(Did Hemingway create it, as legend suggests? Or was it an ornery Parisian bartender?)
More than 50 eclectic recipes, culled from top bartenders around the country, will have drinkers thinking outside the vodka box and taking garnishes to a whole new level.
165 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 28, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 21, 2017
I received this book as a digital advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Anyone who has been to brunch with me knows that I will not hesitate to accept a simple Mimosa or a Bellini over a Bloody Mary every time. There is something about overseasoned canned tomato juice that I just find completely unappetizing. Watching my sister make Bloody Marys at family holiday brunches is akin to watching a chemist perform a complex experiment; she has that many different bottles and shakers out for her concoction. But I absolutely love a good homemade gazpacho, so I thought that maybe it was just a matter of finding the right Bloody Mary recipe with fresh ingredients and light seasonings. If such a recipe existed, I figured I could find it in this book.
The book is essentially divided into four parts: some introductory material, the original recipes, the modern recipes, and the party mix recipes. After these four sections, there are four pages on salts and infusions that are used in the recipes. Immediately after the Table of Contents, there is a Recipe List that lists the recipes in order of their appearance. Just at a glance, the depth and breadth of the list is very impressive – from well-known names (like Trader Vic and the Commander’s Palace) to off-beat combinations (like PB&J & Mary and Kimchee and Nori Bloody Mary). There are also variations on the Bloody Mary, like the Bullshot and the Michelada, a few nonalcoholic variations, and a recipe for “the universal pickle brine.”
The Introduction includes a brief personal introduction, a discussion of what is in a Bloody Mary, an extensive review of the history of the invention of the Bloody Mary, and four amusing anecdotes about the origin of the name. The chapter about the home bar and the home bartender delves into the “necessities” for hosting a proper Bloody Mary party. I appreciate that the author actually recommends name brands for his favorite (most reliable) nonalcoholic products, especially since my challenge with the Bloody Mary is the taste of the tomato juice. He offers three different recommendations for “trusty brands” for tomato juice, so I may actually be able to find one that I like. There is a WHOLE PAGE listing garnish options for Bloody Marys, ranging from beef straw to boiled octopus tentacles. He also offers advice on prebatching Bloody Marys for parties of ten or more: mix together all the ingredients except the alcohol and the ice and store in a sealable container in the refrigerator. The author recommends leaving out the alcohol when prebatching because guests may want to vary the strength of their drinks. I do adore the “Rules of the Home Cocktail Game” section because it lays out specific tasks and timelines for hosting a cocktail party. His recommendations align very closely with my own personal strategy for party preparation and execution.
The drink recipes start with basic and classic recipes, and then progress to the more modern and innovative recipes. In fact, the first recipe is a simple equinox cocktail from the 1950s: stir equal measures of vodka and tomato juice, with a dash of fresh squeezed lemon and ice, until chilled. A similar recipe with different origins appears about twenty pages later, without the dash of lemon. Each recipe cites its source, be it a book or a bartender, and suggests a garnish. Several recipes are credited to the author himself. The recipe headnotes are entertaining introductions to the recipe, ranging from historical tidbits about the drink in general to commentary about the ingredients for the specific recipe. These headnotes are often longer than the recipes themselves. The ingredients are measured in ounces, tablespoons, teaspoons, dashes, pinches, barspoons, and other basic measurements that make them easy to execute. Most of the ingredients for the first two chapters of recipes are generic and easily obtainable, although there is the odd recipe that specifies a certain Bloody Mary seasoning mix or a certain bottled Bloody Mary mix. Things get a little whackier in the third chapter, and more of these recipes require using a juicer than the previous two chapters because some of those recipes call for carrot juice, celery juice, cucumber juice, or even fennel juice. The recipe instructions are very simple and straightforward, without much additional commentary or fluff. There is one recipe that includes the step “Grimace, wipe the dribble from your mouth, and get back to binge-watching Game of Thrones.” but most of the drink recipes read pretty quickly – rim the glass, combine the ingredients in a shaker, roll the shaker three times, strain the drink into the glass, garnish. The occasional notes that follow the recipe offer suggestions on how to find (or create) some of the more obscure ingredients, like chile-infused vodka or a cold smoked whiskey glass. In the “Hosting a Party” chapter, the recipes are for single serving drinks based on higher yield homemade Bloody Mary mixes. The idea is to prebatch the higher yield mix, and then use that as a base for single serve cocktails. The recipes for the salts and infusions at the end of the book are written very similarly to the drink recipes, in that they use common measurements, are clearly written, and are easy to understand.
The photography is a balanced mix of location photography and styled food photography of the drinks themselves. Sprinkled throughout the book are colorful pages of quotes regarding Bloody Marys that add some humor to the content.
While I definitely learned a lot about the Bloody Mary and its variations from this book, and I really appreciated the section about home bartending, I would hesitate to add such a niche book to my collection of cookbooks. However, for those cocktail enthusiasts who are really into the “craft cocktail revolution,” this would be an excellent book to reference and to find inspiration.
As inspired as I was by this book, I have yet to prepare any of its recipes because I need to do some shopping to acquire the appropriate ingredients. At the very least, I need some tomato juice. I will update this review once I prepare some recipes.
Anyone who has been to brunch with me knows that I will not hesitate to accept a simple Mimosa or a Bellini over a Bloody Mary every time. There is something about overseasoned canned tomato juice that I just find completely unappetizing. Watching my sister make Bloody Marys at family holiday brunches is akin to watching a chemist perform a complex experiment; she has that many different bottles and shakers out for her concoction. But I absolutely love a good homemade gazpacho, so I thought that maybe it was just a matter of finding the right Bloody Mary recipe with fresh ingredients and light seasonings. If such a recipe existed, I figured I could find it in this book.
The book is essentially divided into four parts: some introductory material, the original recipes, the modern recipes, and the party mix recipes. After these four sections, there are four pages on salts and infusions that are used in the recipes. Immediately after the Table of Contents, there is a Recipe List that lists the recipes in order of their appearance. Just at a glance, the depth and breadth of the list is very impressive – from well-known names (like Trader Vic and the Commander’s Palace) to off-beat combinations (like PB&J & Mary and Kimchee and Nori Bloody Mary). There are also variations on the Bloody Mary, like the Bullshot and the Michelada, a few nonalcoholic variations, and a recipe for “the universal pickle brine.”
The Introduction includes a brief personal introduction, a discussion of what is in a Bloody Mary, an extensive review of the history of the invention of the Bloody Mary, and four amusing anecdotes about the origin of the name. The chapter about the home bar and the home bartender delves into the “necessities” for hosting a proper Bloody Mary party. I appreciate that the author actually recommends name brands for his favorite (most reliable) nonalcoholic products, especially since my challenge with the Bloody Mary is the taste of the tomato juice. He offers three different recommendations for “trusty brands” for tomato juice, so I may actually be able to find one that I like. There is a WHOLE PAGE listing garnish options for Bloody Marys, ranging from beef straw to boiled octopus tentacles. He also offers advice on prebatching Bloody Marys for parties of ten or more: mix together all the ingredients except the alcohol and the ice and store in a sealable container in the refrigerator. The author recommends leaving out the alcohol when prebatching because guests may want to vary the strength of their drinks. I do adore the “Rules of the Home Cocktail Game” section because it lays out specific tasks and timelines for hosting a cocktail party. His recommendations align very closely with my own personal strategy for party preparation and execution.
The drink recipes start with basic and classic recipes, and then progress to the more modern and innovative recipes. In fact, the first recipe is a simple equinox cocktail from the 1950s: stir equal measures of vodka and tomato juice, with a dash of fresh squeezed lemon and ice, until chilled. A similar recipe with different origins appears about twenty pages later, without the dash of lemon. Each recipe cites its source, be it a book or a bartender, and suggests a garnish. Several recipes are credited to the author himself. The recipe headnotes are entertaining introductions to the recipe, ranging from historical tidbits about the drink in general to commentary about the ingredients for the specific recipe. These headnotes are often longer than the recipes themselves. The ingredients are measured in ounces, tablespoons, teaspoons, dashes, pinches, barspoons, and other basic measurements that make them easy to execute. Most of the ingredients for the first two chapters of recipes are generic and easily obtainable, although there is the odd recipe that specifies a certain Bloody Mary seasoning mix or a certain bottled Bloody Mary mix. Things get a little whackier in the third chapter, and more of these recipes require using a juicer than the previous two chapters because some of those recipes call for carrot juice, celery juice, cucumber juice, or even fennel juice. The recipe instructions are very simple and straightforward, without much additional commentary or fluff. There is one recipe that includes the step “Grimace, wipe the dribble from your mouth, and get back to binge-watching Game of Thrones.” but most of the drink recipes read pretty quickly – rim the glass, combine the ingredients in a shaker, roll the shaker three times, strain the drink into the glass, garnish. The occasional notes that follow the recipe offer suggestions on how to find (or create) some of the more obscure ingredients, like chile-infused vodka or a cold smoked whiskey glass. In the “Hosting a Party” chapter, the recipes are for single serving drinks based on higher yield homemade Bloody Mary mixes. The idea is to prebatch the higher yield mix, and then use that as a base for single serve cocktails. The recipes for the salts and infusions at the end of the book are written very similarly to the drink recipes, in that they use common measurements, are clearly written, and are easy to understand.
The photography is a balanced mix of location photography and styled food photography of the drinks themselves. Sprinkled throughout the book are colorful pages of quotes regarding Bloody Marys that add some humor to the content.
While I definitely learned a lot about the Bloody Mary and its variations from this book, and I really appreciated the section about home bartending, I would hesitate to add such a niche book to my collection of cookbooks. However, for those cocktail enthusiasts who are really into the “craft cocktail revolution,” this would be an excellent book to reference and to find inspiration.
As inspired as I was by this book, I have yet to prepare any of its recipes because I need to do some shopping to acquire the appropriate ingredients. At the very least, I need some tomato juice. I will update this review once I prepare some recipes.
October 30, 2023
Written by a bartender, there is love and experience for this unique cocktail so often associated gatherings, especially, as a curative from the night before to revive life and limb to get the new day and arise as a phoenix from the ashes.
The saving libation is filled with antioxidants, nutrients, and electrolytes. The garnishes are level all of their their own.
The variety of ingredients that go into this libation allows for a great amount of personalizing.
With his skill, he offers the best ways to prepare which ingredients, and what is good to have on hand for garnish.
After a quick speculation about the origin of the cocktail, and its name -for which there in no definitive answer- other than it is early 20th (when tomato juice was commercially available) and invented for Americans. The majority of the book is the myriad of collected recipes from the traditional to the modern.
The saving libation is filled with antioxidants, nutrients, and electrolytes. The garnishes are level all of their their own.
The variety of ingredients that go into this libation allows for a great amount of personalizing.
With his skill, he offers the best ways to prepare which ingredients, and what is good to have on hand for garnish.
After a quick speculation about the origin of the cocktail, and its name -for which there in no definitive answer- other than it is early 20th (when tomato juice was commercially available) and invented for Americans. The majority of the book is the myriad of collected recipes from the traditional to the modern.
Read
October 8, 2022I’ve been drinking bloody marys for years, especially as an all hallows eve tradition. So I thought to pick up this book. Just an fyi for anyone reading this, it’s like 90% recipes with little interesting tidbits about each, some images and quotes, and a small bit in the beginning about the history and lore. So it’s more like a drink recipe book than anything. Not to at all discredit the history portion, our guy definitely did his research and it’s pretty interesting. But I’ll definitely be using this in the future when making a Bloody Mary. It’s good that it’s heavy on recipes, a nice surprise… like therapy books or any kind of craft book. The heavier on do-it-yourself exercises, the better haha. Cheers.
March 25, 2024
So delightful! I have made five since buying this book in Montreal - the "Original" Bloody Mary, Smirnoff Brunch Book Bloody, Old Pepper, Red Snapper, and Zuni Cafe Bloody. Four are in the "originals" category and one in the modern ones; can't wait to keep exploring. I enjoy the history and commentary also.
August 15, 2017
The history was really interesting, but some of the recipes were lacking.
February 13, 2020
Not only unique recipes but a bit of a history lesson too!
December 3, 2021
Great recipes and lots of history. I enjoyed the lore and legend as much as the recipes. The pictures were beautiful. I’m giving a copy of this as a gift.
September 1, 2017
Fun read. Definitely fun for parties that need icebreakers.
March 2, 2017
The Bloody Mary by Brian Bartels makes justice to this drink, especially among skeptical snobbish people like me. Based on the author's direct experience as bartender, whose first cocktail he learned to prepare was the Mary, the book offers an extensive biography of the drink, starting with its controversial history and a long list of recipes and ingredients that can be matched. 'Cocktail fashions come and go, but the nourishing charm of a Bloody Mary endures' and the presence of this drink in the respectable menus of famous restaurants and bars from all over the world proves this. As a cocktail that 'commands patience', it offers a very large spectrum of combination for the ingredients. The basic remains always: tomato juice, vodka, spices and seasonings. The adds are: Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, black pepper, celery, salt and...everything else you think it could match. One of my favorite recipes is called umami mary and has miso instead of Worcestershire and using shiitake infused vodka.
Besides the beautiful and mouth watering pictures, the book is written in a personal and joyous style which keeps you curious and entertained for just another unique recipe or some stories shared from the exclusive world of bartenders.
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Besides the beautiful and mouth watering pictures, the book is written in a personal and joyous style which keeps you curious and entertained for just another unique recipe or some stories shared from the exclusive world of bartenders.
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
March 13, 2017
This book shared the history of how one of my favorite cocktails came to exist and different recipes and takes on the drink. While interesting, I don't think its outstanding or one I would like to own.
March 7, 2017
This is your book if you're looking for all things Bloody Mary. From its conception history to modern times, this book truly does cover all there is. I enjoyed the section on the naming background of the Bloody Mary, who knew there are so many stories? Not only are there fantastic recipes and spins on Bloody Marys, the author also includes why the recipe is special.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews