Red Snapper
A Bloody Mary made with gin. The St. Regis Hotel's 1934 name for the drink when 'Bloody Mary' was thought too coarse — and the botanicals suit tomato better than vodka.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Fill a collins glass with ice.
Add the gin, tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire, hot sauce, celery salt and pepper to a shaker with ice.
Roll: pour the drink back and forth between the shaker and a second tin several times to chill and mix without foaming.
Strain into the glass and garnish with a lemon wedge and a celery stick.
A thoughtful finish
- Gin's juniper and coriander read as savoury against tomato in a way vodka's neutrality cannot; a classic London dry is the right choice, not a floral gin.
- Roll, do not shake. Shaken tomato juice turns frothy and thin.
- Petiot's original seasoning was salt, black pepper, cayenne and Worcestershire; the celery salt and the celery stick are later and welcome.
Common mistakes
- A sweet, heavy pre-made mix that buries the gin.
- Shaking it to foam.
- An overly botanical modern gin that fights the tomato. Keep it dry and classic.
A few good questions.
What is the difference between a Red Snapper and a Bloody Mary?
Gin instead of vodka. The name comes from the St. Regis Hotel in 1934, which found 'Bloody Mary' too crude and used gin because vodka was unavailable.
Is gin better than vodka in a Bloody Mary?
Many bartenders think so. Gin's botanicals add a savoury complexity; vodka adds only strength.
What is a Bloody Caesar?
The Canadian version with Clamato. Make it with gin and it is a Snapper Caesar.
Who was Fernand Petiot?
A French bartender at Harry's New York Bar in Paris in the 1920s and the St. Regis in New York from 1934, who claimed the Bloody Mary and definitely perfected its seasoning.
Variations
- Bloody Mary — With vodka.
- Bloody Maria — With tequila.
- Virgin Mary — Without spirit.
- Michelada — Beer, lime and spice — the Mexican cousin.
Where it comes from
1934 · New York City · Fernand Petiot · King Cole Bar, St. Regis Hotel
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
Fernand Petiot, who claimed to have invented the Bloody Mary at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris in the 1920s, brought it to the King Cole Bar at the St. Regis in New York in 1934, where management found the name vulgar and renamed it the Red Snapper. Vodka was scarce in America then, so the hotel’s version was made with gin, and the name has stayed attached to the gin version ever since; the St. Regis still serves it. Whether Petiot truly invented the drink, or merely improved George Jessel’s vodka-and-tomato, is argued. The gin version is, by most serious opinion, the better drink.
Sources
- The St. Regis New York, King Cole Bar history, 1934 (archive)
- Brian Bartels, The Bloody Mary, 2017 (book)
- David Wondrich, Imbibe!, 2015 (book)
Strength. About 1.47 US standard drinks at an estimated 11.8% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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