The Bloody Mary was invented by  Fernand "Pete" Petiot, a bartender at Harry's New York Bar in Paris during the 1920's. He originally mixed equal parts tomato juice and vodka. There are two different accounts of the origin of the name. One school of thought is that it was named after the wife of Henry VIII, Mary Tudor, who was called "Bloody Mary". The other is that one of the boys where Petiot was bartending suggested the drink be called Bloody Mary because it reminded him of the Bucket of Blood Club in Chicago, and a girl there named Mary.

In 1934, when Petiot moved to the King Cole Bar at the St.Regis in New York, he brought the recipe with him. The hotel tried to change the name to Red Snapper, but it didn't stick. Customers urged Petiot to spice up the drink because it was too bland. He added black pepper, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, lemon, and a generous splash of Tabasco sauce for patrons who liked it even more spirited. Thus, an American classic was born.

Using a celery stick to garnish a Bloody Mary originated in the 1960s at Chicago's Ambassador East Hotel. An unnamed celebrity got a Bloody Mary, but no swizzle stick. He grabbed a stalk of celery from the relish tray to stir his Bloody Mary and history was made.

Note: There is substantiated speculation that the drink was first made with gin, not vodka. Gin was far more popular spirit at that time.

Here are ratings of local area Bloody Marys. Ratings are on a scale from 1 to 10. The classic Bloody Mary recipe is Tomato Juice, Vodka, Tabasco, and Worcestershire Sauce. Using these  ingredients usually earns a middle rating of 4-6. The sites here are ranked by their Bloody Mary rating only.  When you're finished reading this, why don't you check out other Three Rivers Homepages.