Was it created at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris and imported by the Astors to the St. Regis? Or was it named after Queen Mary I, the Tudor royal?
Wherever it came from, it’s back and it’s here to stay. Forever in a popularity contest with the mimosa, the Bloody Mary is emerging as brunch’s favorite drink. “It’s part of the green market movement,” says Ryan Mills Knapp, beverage director at Colicchio & Sons, of the drink that, at its most basic is tomato juice, vodka, citrus and spice. “It’s like an alcoholic salad for breakfast.”
And the new way to do them is to do them yourself. DIY Bloody Mary bars are popping up all over town, responding to the fact that everyone likes theirs mixed a certain way. Customers can create their own cocktail just the way they like them. Here are three DIY spots (and three places where it’s better to leave it to the experts) . . .
Saxon & Parole (316 Bowery; 212-254-0350)
Six months ago, after demand reached as many as 250 Bloody Mary DIY-ers every brunch, NYC’s original self-serve bar expanded its offering. There are 40 ingredients now, including kaffir lime tincture, sambal, cornichons and smoked salt. Plus five vodkas, $12 to $14 ($8 virgin). For the perfect balance, customers will choose one of each citrus, spice, pickle and salt, says Naren Young, AvroKO Hospitality Group cocktail creator, who adds that this trend for being a “mixologist for the day” reflects consumers’ growing awareness of food. “People are more concerned about what they’re eating and drinking and how ingredients are sourced now. We don’t stock anything we can’t squeeze ourselves.”
KTCHN (508 W. 42nd St; 212-868-2999)
“Anyone can order a [standardized] Bloody Mary from a bar, but with a DIY bar, a guest can build a unique cocktail that is exactly the way they want . . . and experiment until they’ve created their perfect [drink],” says Boris Kaplunovsky, restaurant manager of KTCHN, where they’ve been offering the option to make-your-own at brunch since October. “[It] allows guests to think outside the box,” he says. Now only 1 in 30 guests orders their Bloody Mary premade — everyone else gets up to play barkeep. Pick from one of three vodkas, $10 ($8 virgin), then go to the bar with your smoked-paprika-rimmed glass, and start by selecting straight tomato juice with clam broth, or beef bouillon (which makes a Bloody Bull, BTW). There are more than 20 add-in choices, including black-lava salt, capers, peppers and bacon.
Pennsylvania 6 (132 W. 31 St.; 212-727-3666)
“Even though they may not admit it, [customers] all want to be a bartender,” says Craig Hutson, bar manager at Pennsylvania 6, which three weeks ago launched brunch and a Build Your Own Bloody Mary Bar.
After selecting from 10 vodkas, $8 to $12, brought to you on the rocks in a pint glass, step up to the bar and pour in tomato juice, Clamato (a blend of tomato juice and clam broth) or the house blend (horseradish already added).
Then get creative with more than 25 ingredients such as Sriracha, steak sauce and micro cilantro. “Think about the flavors as a whole that you’re including in your Bloody Mary, not just the pieces,” says Hutson.
Leave these to the experts
Creativity is all well and good, but there’s a reason besides socializing and small apartments that you go out to eat and drink: The experts are better than you.
“Bloody Marys have always been a chef-y kind of drink,” says Maialino’s bar manager Erik Lombardo. “It has all the components of a sauce — you add something, always trying to balance the savory, citrus and spice.” So sit back and appreciate the professionals’ skills with three Bloodys you can’t get anywhere else:
Bloody Verde at Colicchio & Sons (85 10th Ave.; 212-400-6699)
One word: Pacojet. That’s a serious food processor that freezes and purées.
Two words: Horseradish snow. It dissolves and disappears into the green tomatoes, tomatillos, cooked jalapeños and chiles, and other perfectly blended ingredients in the zesty rich, surprisingly light Bloody Verde, $14, created by beverage director Ryan Mills Knapp and Chef de Cuisine Luke Bergman. You can’t compete.
Amaro e Insanguinato at Maialino (2 Lexington Ave.; 212-777-2410)
There’s no way you’re going to cold-smoke your own vodka. Keeping with the restaurant’s Italian menu, bar manager Lombardo also uses a liqueur, CioCiaro, in the Amaro e Insanguinato, $11. He says that its smoky orange root-beer flavor works well with tomato.
The Southwest at Passenger Bar (229 Roebling St., Williamsburg; 718-218-7869)
Co-owner Jason Weilminster spent 10 years developing the base to the five Bloody Marys on this menu. The Southwest, $10, is a sort of Bloody Maria (tequila replaces vodka) meets Michelada (Tecate on top), plus cactus juice, with a subtle after-kick of heat.