Red Snapper
Roll ∙ 3 min ∙ 11.6% ABV ∙
The Red Snapper is gin's answer to the Bloody Mary: London dry gin rolled with tomato juice, lemon and savoury spices in a celery-salt-rimmed glass. Thick and savory with a slow heat that builds on the back of the throat, the rim's gritty crunch cutting through a silky, tangy body before a peppery finish lingers.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Rim the glass with celery salt and cracked black pepper (moisten the outside edge with lime juice and dip into the mix)
- Roll all ingredients with ice: London dry gin 60 mlTomato juice 120 mlLemon juice 15 mlSugar syrup 10 mlWorcestershire sauce 4 dashesTabasco sauce 2 dashesBlack pepper 2 grindsCelery salt 2 pinches
- Strain into the ice-filled glass
- Garnish with a celery slice and pickles
Tips
- Moisten only the outside edge of the glass with lime before dipping in celery salt and pepper, so the rim stays crisp instead of dissolving into the drink.
- Roll the mix gently between two shakers rather than shaking hard, which keeps the tomato juice from turning frothy and clouded.
History
The Red Snapper is best known today as the gin-based sibling of the Bloody Mary, a switch that swaps vodka's neutral base for gin's juniper-forward botanicals. The name itself, however, has an older and more specific origin: it was coined at the King Cole Bar in New York's St. Regis Hotel in 1934, where French bartender Fernand Petiot had brought over the vodka-and-tomato-juice drink he had developed at Harry's New York Bar in Paris. Petiot's cocktail was originally called the Bloody Mary, but the hotel's management judged that name too coarse for its genteel clientele and rechristened it Red Snapper. Early published recipes from the 1940s describe the Red Snapper as essentially identical to the Bloody Mary, made with vodka; the name only became associated with a distinct gin version later, as bartenders used it to distinguish the gin variation from the now-standard vodka Bloody Mary.
The Bloody Mary itself is generally traced to Petiot's work at Harry's New York Bar in Paris in the early 1920s, though its exact creation and naming are disputed among several claimants, including stories involving entertainer George Jessel and later refinements at the St. Regis.
FAQ
What is a Red Snapper cocktail?
The Red Snapper is a gin-based twin of the Bloody Mary, made savory by tomato juice and rolled with ice, then served in a highball glass rimmed with celery salt.
Why is a gin Bloody Mary called a Red Snapper?
The name is generally traced to New York's St. Regis Hotel, where the King Cole Bar reportedly served a gin version of the Bloody Mary under a more genteel name for its clientele, and Red Snapper stuck as the term for the gin-based recipe. Vodka versions kept the Bloody Mary name, while gin versions are still commonly labeled Red Snapper today.
