The Fernand Petiot Story

It was back in the 1920s when Fernand Petiot, an American bartender at Harry's New York Bar in Paris, mixed up equal parts of tomato juice and vodka. He had no idea that his concoction would become world famous when he agreed with the guy in the bar who suggested he call the drink "Bloody Mary." The patron said it reminded him of the Bucket of Blood Club in Chicago, and a girl he knew there named Mary.

In 1934, Petiot moved to the King Cole Bar at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City, and brought the recipe with him. The hotel managers tried to change the name to Red Snapper, but it didn't stick.

Sophisticated New Yorkers weren't too impressed at first. They said the drink tasted a bit bland, and they asked Petiot to spice it up. He added black pepper, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, lemon and--for those who wanted more spirit--a generous splash of TABASCO pepper sauce. And that's how an American classic was born.

In 1976, McIlhenny Company introduced TABASCO Bloody Mary Mix. It wasn't the first mix on grocery store shelves, but it was one true to Petiot's original. A spicier version was added a few years later.

The Mary Tudor Story

Mary Tudor, or Mary I of England, was a fascinating woman. As the daughter of Henry VIII, she saw much in her relatively short life. Henry's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, gave birth to the Princess Mary on February 18, 1516; she was heir to the throne of England. However, Mary was declared illegitimate when Henry divorced her mother in 1532 to marry Anne Boleyn, mother of Elizabeth I. She watched her father treat her mother as a whore, make a mockery of her beloved church, and virtually slap her and her mother in the face for all of England to see.

Mary is remembered for the hundreds of Protestants she murdered in the name of Catholicism. This is how she got her nickname "Bloody Mary." She died on November 17, 1558.

It also believed that the Bloody Mary drink is named for her--although this is a less plausible story.
No matter what the name, the Bloody Mary has been declared one of the defining drinks of the 20th century by the U.S. Bartenders Guide.   Hail Bloody Mary!

The Bloody Mary Timeline

1926: Fernand Petiot, an American bartender at Harry's New York Bar in Paris mixes equal parts tomato juice and vodka. Petiot says: "One of the boys suggested we call the drink 'Bloody Mary' because it reminded him of the Bucket of Blood Club in Chicago, and a girl there named Mary."

1927: This is the year that George Jessel claims to have invented the Bloody Mary in his Palm Beach home. He claims the name happened when his friend Mary spilled some of the concoction on her shirt and she said, "Now, you can call me Bloody Mary, George!"

1934: Petiot moves to the King Cole Bar at the St. Regis in New York. His drink becomes popular with New Yorkers but something is missing. The hotel asks him to change the name to the Red Snapper, but it doesn't catch on and it is again called the Bloody Mary. His patrons encourage him to make the drink spicy, so he adds cayenne pepper, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, lemon, and a big dash of Tabasco ® sauce. The recipe is a hit.

March 30, 1956: George Jessel takes out an ad in Collier's that reads: I think I invented The Bloody Mary, Red Snapper, Tomato Pickup or Morning Glory. It happened on a Night before a Day and I felt I should take some good, nourishing tomato juice, but what I really wanted was some of your good Smirnoff Vodka. So I mixed them together, the juice for body and the vodka for spirit, and if I wasn't the first ever, I was the happiest ever.

Aug. 15, 1956: The Bloody Mary is mentioned in Punch magazine: "Those two ... are eating raw steaks and drinking Bloody Marys.

July 18, 1964: Petiot tells the New Yorker: "I initiated the Bloody Mary of today. George Jessel said he created it, but it was really nothing but vodka and tomato juice when I took it over. I cover the bottom of the shaker with four large dashes of salt, two dashes of black pepper, two dashes of cayenne pepper, and a layer of Worcestershire sauce; I then add a dash of lemon juice and some cracked ice, put in two ounces of vodka and two ounces of thick tomato juice, shake, strain, and pour. We serve a hundred to a hundred and fifty Bloody Marys a day here in the King Cole Room and in the other restaurants and the banquet rooms."

Jan. 8, 1975: Petiot dies in San Francisco.

1976: The McIlhenny Company introduces Tabasco ® Bloody Mary Mix.

Information collected by Lesa Beaupry, Instructor at the Toledo Bartending School

 "Whiskey around the World" at Manhattan’s of Toledo was a great time, good food, and very educational, especially if you didn’t know anything about whiskey.  We started our “Whiskey around the World” trip with Bulleit Rye Whiskey made in Kentucky.  An opening cocktail was offered any way you like; I had mine in a Manhattan on the rocks.   The Bulleit Rye is made with 95%  rye grains, aged 4-7 yrs. It has a golden amber color, was smooth and had a slight spicy (hot) flavor on its own.  Adding a cube of ice, toned down the spice and made it much smoother.  It sells for around $27 a bottle.

Next stop, Scotland-- a shot of Johnny Walker Double Black served with the Appetizer Buffet which included Skewered Lime Shrimp, Cold-Smoked Salmon and Rye l'amuse and Roasted/Spiced Nuts.  The Johnny Walker DB has recently been released to the public as it was only available in duty free shops prior. It is a blended scotch made from malted barley (other grains) that is smoked with peat and has no age statement since it comes from various aged barrels most 10 yrs and up.  JWDB had a very intense smoky aroma, deep dark amber color, and goes down very warm and smooth. Cost is around $46/bottle. 

Bushmill’s Black Bush an Irish Whiskey was served with a Mixed Green Salad topped with a Whiskey Dressing for the second course.  The BBB is a blended whiskey made from malted barley & other grains and aged 8-10 yrs in sherry casks.  It has a nice amber color, was very warm almost hot when swallowing yet smooth. It also had a slight sweetness from the Sherry casks. A 750 mL bottle is about $30. 

Onward to our Northern neighbors, Canada’s Crown Royal Reserve was served with the third course, Corn Chowder--quite tasty.  CRR is a blended whiskey made select barrels of CR aging whiskey of which there are over 1 million to choose from.  It has an amber color, was warm and smooth and had a slight spice to it. This CRR sells for around $43 a bottle. We travel back to Scotland for the World’s Best Scotch, Johnny Walker Blue Label served with Pork Tenderloin & Squash Ravioli. This is a blended whisky made from the rarest casks of Johnny Walker’s stock.  Currently JW has 7.5 million barrels of whisky aging in Scotland. The value of this whisky exceeds that of England and 46 other countries GNP.   JWBlue has a smoky aroma but not as intense as the double black. It also has deep amber color, and is very warm and smooth.  Since it is considered the World’s best it has a price tag to match at $215 a bottle.  

The evening ended with coffee and a Corn Cake with Whiskey Cream Sauce dessert--of course we couldn’t end without the whiskey and yes it was very delicious. My personal favorite was the Bulleit Rye Whiskey and my least favorites were the Johnny Walkers mostly because I do not care for smoked drinks or foods and their flavor & aromas are distinctly smoky.  The JWBlue was definitely the smoothest of all and I know my table mates who are whiskey drinkers liked it very much along with the CRReserve. 

I did learn the differences between whiskey, bourbon, scotch, & Irish whiskey’s.  It is all about where they are distilled, aged, and bottled along with what they are made primarily from.  All whiskey’s are made from grains (corn, wheat, rye &/or barley). No coloring additives are added, the color must come from the casks in which the whiskey ages in. Once bottled the aging process is complete. Some casks are charred & must be new and others may be previously used from whiskey or wine.  Bourbon is an American product made of no less than 51% corn.  Scotch must be distilled, aged & bottled in Scotland to be labeled scotch--otherwise it is called whiskey.  Irish whiskey must be distilled & aged in Ireland to be labeled an Irish whiskey.                                      Lesa Beaupry

May is winding down and although the weather is dreary, our news is still happy! Our grads are getting hired left and right.

• Joe D. graduated Monday morning, interviewed Monday afternoon and was working Monday night at the Bier Haus in Strongsville, way to show them how it’s done Joe!



• Peter G also got hired at Executive Caterers and Jennifer R got 3 job offers in Toledo.
On the national front, Greg D recently got placed in Fairfield Connecticut and Mike S was placed in Arizona! Our grads are really going places.


• There’s a new tequila sheriff in town and we are pleased to welcome them! Tequilador is unveiling their new tequila and we have the honor of hosting a tasting. On May 20, 2011 we will be having a tasting during our sours and margaritas class. All current students and past graduates are welcome to come!



• We are also busily readying ourselves for the annual leadership conference in Orlando Florida, which will be June third and fourth. Florida is the number one state to bartend, with all the sun, sand and the tropical drinks! Not to mention the thirsty vacationers!



• A new European lounge, opening in Mooreland Hills has contacted us for our help creating a list of 150 signature drinks. Keep your eyes peeled for more news on that, because you know you’ll want to head out there and try them out.



• Last but not least. This past Sunday, flair tender and CBS instructor Robbie Flair taught a flair class.  We had a nice turnout, one of our instructors, Katie, two grads Charlie and Renan, current student, Alex and current bartender, Jennifer all learned the basic tricks to make a few extra bucks behind the bar. Everyone had a ton of fun and learned some valuable flair skills.


Stay tuned for more news, we’ll keep you posted as it comes.  Keep your eyes on our Facebook for our drinks of the day, school events and other fun happenings. We hope to see you all at our tequila tasting!