The Red Snapper is the Bloody Mary made with gin — and, by some accounts, the Bloody Mary as it was first served in America. Gin's botanicals give the savoury tomato mix a dry, aromatic lift that vodka simply cannot.
The Bloody Mary by the name polite society preferred.
A Name for a Nervous Hotel
When the bartender Fernand Petiot brought his tomato cocktail to the King Cole Bar at New York's St. Regis Hotel in the 1930s, the management thought 'Bloody Mary' too crude for the room. The drink was rechristened the Red Snapper — and, in its St. Regis form, it was made with gin.
Botanicals and Tomato
Gin's juniper, coriander, and citrus peel weave through the tomato and spice in a way the neutral vodka never attempts. The Red Snapper is the more complex, more aromatic drink — drier, brisker, and arguably the more interesting brunch glass.
Keep the Gin Classic
A juniper-forward London dry holds its own against the tomato and spice. A soft contemporary gin tends to disappear entirely — the Red Snapper wants a gin that announces itself.
The Bloody Mary Family
The classic — vodka, tomato juice, lemon, and a full rack of savoury spices, built tall.
- 2 ozVodka
- 4 ozTomato juice
- 1/2 ozLemon juice
The Bloody Mary made with tequila — agave warmth through the tomato and spice.
- 2 ozBlanco tequila
- 4 ozTomato juice
- 1/2 ozLime juice
Canada's national cocktail — the Bloody Mary rebuilt on briny Clamato.
- 2 ozVodka
- 4 ozClamato juice
- 1/2 ozLime juice