Even elite luxury hotels have their playful quirks. In the case of the St. Regis Hotel collection, each hotel — from the United States to Mexico, Italy to china — has its own unique take on the classic Bloody Mary.
St. Regis Hotels claim the creation of the definitive tomato-based cocktail. Evidently, in 1934, Fernand Petiot, the bartender at The St. Regis New York’s King Cole Bar, created the traditional recipe for a vodka and tomato juice cocktail. Petiot coined it the Bloody Mary.
Related: Travel: USA Pro Challenge Pedals into Aspen
The hotel thought that name was potentially controversial, so it was changed to the Red Snapper. But, the original name was too strong to die that easily — as was the spicy, spirited mix.
On a recent trip to the St. Regis Aspen, I had a chance to mix and sample my own version of that destination’s bespoke Bloody Mary. Taking a part of its name from Aspen’s ski season and the faded name of the original New York cocktail, the hotel coined the Downhill Snapper.
If not on the scene in Aspen, anyone can make the Downhill Snapper. You may need to swap out some of the alcohol brands to close proximity, but a good mixologist should be able to come very close to this unique recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 oz / 30 ml tomato juice
- 1 oz / 30 ml V8 juice
- Juice of 6 lemons
- Juice of 6 limes
- 1/2 oz / 15 ml Bloody Mary seasoning
- 1 1/2 oz / 45 ml premium vodka
- 1 1/5 oz / 36 ml Tabasco sauce
- 5 dill sprigs • 5 basil leaves
- 2 tbsp cracked black pepper
- 2 olives, for garnish
- 1 pickle slice, for garnish
- 1 lime wedge, for garnish
Directions
- Prepare Bloody Mary mix by combining tomato and V8 juices, lemon and lime juices and Bloody Mary seasoning and letting the mixture marinate for 24 hours.
- When ready, add vodka, Tabasco sauce, muddled dill, basil and fresh cracked pepper.
- Pour over ice into a footed tumbler and garnish with olives, pickle slice and lime wedge.
