Clips-Cocktail

A Cocktail with Class

By Kate Harrigan

There are more cocktails than there are bartenders trying to memorize their recipes, but only a few drinks achieve a notable position in our culture. The martini comes to mind. “Shaken, not stirred.” In three words, James Bond asserts not only his class, but also a touch of quirkiness. “Don’t bruise the gin,” businessmen demand of the bartender as they take their places at a mahogany bar. “I want it dry – in fact, just wave the bottle of vermouth over the shaker while saluting Britain.” Martini lovers form a class unto itself.

The Bloody Mary shares a bit of the martini’s mystique and glamour, but remains a lot less stuffed shirt about itself. Of course, it’s hard not to acquire a certain mystique when your namesake is Mary Tudor – old “Bloody Mary” herself – remembered primarily for killing hundreds of Protestants in the name of Catholicism.

Even without the name, the cocktail probably was destined to reign over such ordinary concoctions as the sloe gin fizz or the Tom Collins. For one thing, it has the virtue of being an acceptable breakfast drink. People who would never dream of downing a gin and tonic before the sun is over the yardarm don’t hesitate to order a Bloody Mary for a mid-morning brunch or any other social occasion. Perhaps it’s the tomato juice that renders upright what otherwise would be of questionable propriety.

Bloody Marys also have picked up a certain panache through their close association with such upper-crust events as polo matches, where the well-heeled tiptoe across the field balancing a Bloody Mary while replacing the chunks of sod turned over by charging hooves. Bloody Marys are also the beverage of choice of the Ralph Lauren set at such prestigious horse races as the Belmont Stakes

Homemade versions can be a complicated business, entailing the careful combination of ingredients that can include everything from Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce and tomato juice to fresh-ground horseradish, celery seeds and any number of secret ingredients. For those without the time, or the imagination, to concoct such a complicated cocktail, a top-of-the-line Bloody Mary mix is essential. Carry a good selection of these time-savers, and your customers will toast you.