Virgin Mary
A Bloody Mary without the vodka — and because the drink was always about tomato, salt and heat rather than the spirit, it barely notices.
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.
Add the tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire, hot sauce, celery salt and pepper to a shaker.
Fill with ice and roll the drink — pour it back and forth between tins four or five times.
Strain into an ice-filled collins glass.
Garnish with a celery stick and a lemon wedge.
A thoughtful finish
- Roll it, never shake it. Hard shaking whips tomato juice into a pale pink froth and destroys the texture.
- Season it like soup and taste before you strain. Without alcohol you need more salt and more acid than you think, not less.
- A pinch of celery salt plus a little horseradish is what makes this taste finished rather than like seasoned juice.
Common mistakes
- Shaking hard, which makes it foamy and thin.
- Under-seasoning. Tinned tomato juice straight from the carton is sweet and flat — salt, acid and heat are the drink.
- Assuming it is automatically vegetarian. Worcestershire sauce traditionally contains anchovy; check the bottle or use a vegan version.
A few good questions.
Is it the same as a Bloody Mary?
Minus the vodka, yes — and because the vodka contributes very little flavour, this is one of the closest alcohol-free versions of any classic cocktail.
Is it vegan or vegetarian?
Not automatically. Standard Worcestershire sauce contains anchovy. Vegan Worcestershire is widely available, and the drink is otherwise plant-based.
What is a Virgin Caesar?
The Canadian version, made with Clamato — clam and tomato juice — instead of plain tomato juice. Savoury and excellent.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes, and it improves. Mix the seasoned tomato base and refrigerate up to three days; the flavours settle overnight. Add ice and garnish to order.
Variations
- Bloody Mary — The same drink with vodka.
- Virgin Caesar — Clamato in place of tomato juice.
- Michelada — Beer-based, with the same savoury seasoning.
- Bloody Maria — Made with blanco tequila.
Where it comes from
c. 1930s
The non-alcoholic form of the Bloody Mary, which Fernand Petiot developed in Paris and refined at the St. Regis in New York. Also sold as a Bloody Shame or a Virgin Caesar in Canada, where the clam-and-tomato version is standard. It is one of the very few mocktails that is not a compromise: the Bloody Mary’s identity lives in the seasoning, and the vodka contributes almost no flavour, so the alcohol-free version is close to the full drink.
Sources
- Fernand Petiot, interview in The New Yorker, 1964 (periodical)
- St. Regis New York, King Cole Bar house history, current (venue)
A little character in every sip.
A keeper?
Save this drink for your next cocktail hour.
Saved in this browser.The next great drink
might already be on your shelf.
Choose your bottles and mixers. Discover what you can make.