BLOODY MARYS WITH AN ASIAN TWIST by Maggie O'Sullivan
Regular visitors to this blog know that our Founder and Creative Director Niamh Barker is a fan of the Bloody Mary. Earlier this month, she finally got to try one in the New York bar in which it was invented (). Her verdict? The best on the planet. But it turned out that her quest for the perfect Bloody Mary was only just beginning. St Regis, which owns the King Cole Bar, has 33 hotels around the world – and every one of them makes it own version of the iconic cocktail. As we are currently working with four St Regis Asia Pacific hotels on an exclusive , we asked them for their Bloody Mary recipes with an Asian twist.
Bali Mary
Indonesian cuisine takes centre stage with jicama (Mexican yam), cucumber and brown sugar.
Ingredients
100 g chopped jicama, plus more for garnish
6 cubes fresh cucumber
1 cube /10 g brown sugar
45 ml premium pepper vodka
210 ml Bloody Mary mix
Celery salt
Celery stalk, for garnish
Cherry tomato, for garnish
Directions
Muddle the jicama, cucumber and brown sugar. Mix with pepper vodka and Bloody Mary mix. Shake and pour into a 280 ml champagne glass rimmed with celery salt. Serve chilled (not on ice). Garnish with V-shape of jicama, celery and cherry tomato.
Further information,
Great Wall Bloody Mary
Taking its cue from the inclusion of beer in ancient worship rituals, this cocktail substitutes Chinese pilsner for vodka.
Ingredients
75 ml Tsingtao® beer
100 ml Bloody Mary mix
3 oyster shooters, for garnish
1 lemon wedge, for garnish
Directions
Pour the beer into an .2 litre white wineglass filled with ice. Then pour the Bloody Mary mix on top. Garnish with the oyster shooters and lemon wedge.
Further information,
Shogun Mary
Spicy wasabi, fresh yuzu (a Japanese citrus fruit) and dry gin combine for a locally inspired libation.
Ingredients
1 slice lemon or yuzu
100 ml 100% yuzu or lime juice
Wasabi powder
1 pinch salt
30 ml vodka
15 ml premium dry gin
1 ml soy sauce
80 ml tomato juice
Directions
Rim a 180 ml martini glass with the juice of a slice of yuzu or lime. Dip top of the glass into a mixture of salt and wasabi powder. Combine the vodka, gin, soy sauce, yuzu/lime and tomato juice with cubed ice. Shake and pour into the prepared glass.
Further information,
Chilli Padi Mary
Lemongrass, chili padi (bird’s eye chili) and ginger give this cocktail a distinct spiciness that reflects Singapore’s eclectic cuisine.
Ingredients
30ml premium vodka
1 piece lemongrass, about 2 cm thick
1 slice fresh ginger root (mature/old)
1/2 thinly sliced chili padi, seeds removed
0.5 ml sugar syrup
90ml tomato juice
Directions
Muddle the vodka, lemongrass, ginger, chili padi and sugar syrup together. Strain and pour into a short tumbler filled with ice. Add tomato juice, stir and serve.
Further information,
Illustrations by Bill Donovan