Virgin Mary

The alcohol-free Bloody Mary.

All the character of a Bloody Mary without the vodka: tomato juice, lemon, hot sauces, horseradish and spices. Savoury, spicy and satisfying, it is perfect for brunch or an alcohol-free aperitif.

Aperitif
Stirred

Glass: Collins glass
Method: Stirred
Strength: Alcohol-free
Time: 3 min
Difficulty: Easy
Ice: Cubes

Ingredients

Servings 1

Tomato juice 150 ml
Lemon juice 15 ml
Tabasco 8 drops
Worcestershire sauce 4 dashes
Horseradish sauce ½ barspoon
Celery salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Garnish

Celery stalk

Proportions

How to make

Fill a shaker with ice.
Pour the tomato juice.
Pour the lemon juice.
Add the hot pepper sauce.
Add the Worcestershire sauce.
Add the horseradish sauce.
Add the celery salt.
Add the black pepper.
Roll the mix between the shaker tins a few times, without shaking.
Fill a Collins glass with ice.
Strain into the glass.
Garnish with a celery stick.

The story

Origins

LegendA story passed down, not confirmed by the sources.

The Virgin Mary is the alcohol-free version of the Bloody Mary, the vodka and tomato cocktail whose invention is disputed between bartender Fernand Petiot, in Paris or New York, and actor George Jessel. It has no known inventor, and the sources consulted do not say when the name first appeared. Some trace it to Prohibition, but that is unlikely: the Bloody Mary only took hold in the United States after 1933. The Oxford Companion calls it probably the most popular 'virgin' drink and recalls a late-1970s New York magazine report on a bar, Maxwell's Plum, serving vodka-free Bloody Marys without customers noticing. It is also known as the Bloody Shame.

Sources (5)

Taste profile

Spicy: 3 out of 5
Herbal: 2 out of 5
Sour: 2 out of 5
Fresh: 2 out of 5