St. Regis Hotels Celebrates 75th Anniversary of the Bloody Mary Cocktail

St. Regis Hotels & Resorts this week celebrates the 75th anniversary of the iconic Bloody Mary with a series of initiatives and special offerings available at St. Regis hotels and resorts around the world.

Starting now and through the end of this year, St. Regis will offer guests opportunities to experience its signature cocktail in new and creative ways including a special Bloody Mary menu created by Manhattan and Washington DC's leading chefs and restaurants, Bloody Mary inspired spa treatments, a Bloody Mary epicurean menu, the St. Regis Bloody Mary World Collection, and more. Invented in the King Cole Bar at the St. Regis landmark hotel in New York, the "Red Snapper," or Bloody Mary as it has come to be known, has been imitated and adapted endlessly by others throughout the years, but the original St. Regis recipe still stands as one of the most beloved cocktails ever created. To further underscore the celebration, New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, has issued an official proclamation, naming today, October 5th Bloody Mary Day in New York and Starwood CEO, Frits van Paasschen, will ring the closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange to end the work day and kick off the anniversary in true St. Regis fashion.

The Bloody Mary has been a part of St. Regis history since 1934 when bartender Fernand Petiot introduced the "Red Snapper," which would later be renamed the Bloody Mary, at the King Cole Bar in The St. Regis New York. The famed cocktail was created when Serge Obolensky, a well known man about town whose penchant for vodka was in keeping with his aristocratic Russian background, asked Petiot to make the vodka cocktail he had in Paris. The formula was spiced up with salt, pepper, lemon and Worcestershire Sauce, but since "Bloody Mary" was deemed too vulgar for the hotel's elegant King Cole Bar, it was rechristened the "Red Snapper." While the name may not have caught on, the spicy drink most certainly did, and over the years it has become the signature cocktail of the St. Regis brand.

St. Regis properties worldwide have created new and unique offerings to honor the Bloody Mary's significant milestone including:

The St. Regis New York and St. Regis Washington D.C. have partnered with a host of noteworthy chefs and restaurants including, Adour Charlie Palmer, WD-50, ‘21’ Club, Landmarc, The Palm, Dovetail, The Spotted Pig, Freemans, Spike Mendelsohn, Art Smith, Todd Gray of Equinox, Vermilion, Acadiana, Back Forty and Blue Smoke who will lend their own personal Bloody Mary recipes to be included on a special anniversary menu available through the month of October in the King Cole Bar at The St. Regis New York and The Bar at The St. Regis Washington D.C.

Reaching beyond the traditional cocktail interpretation, the executive chef at The St. Regis Grand Hotel in Rome has created an innovative epicurean Bloody Mary menu featuring spicy tomato and vodka inspired fare such as ravioli filled with lemon and vodka infused ricotta cheese served over a tomato fondue.

Guests at The St. Regis Bali are invited to experience an energizing Bloody Mary spa menu including a skin purifying Vodka Tomato Clay Wrap followed by an invigorating Tomato Vermouth and Mineral Salt bath

Honoring the regional influences of St. Regis destinations worldwide, the brand has created a special World Collection Bloody Mary menu that combines local flavors with Mr. Petiot's original recipe. In addition to serving the traditional Bloody Mary cocktail, each of St. Regis’ 18 properties offer guests a unique version of the Bloody Mary using locally inspired ingredients such as:

The St. Regis Beijing's 'Great Wall' replaces vodka with Tsingtao beer and adds freshly squeezed lime juice to the traditional St. Regis Bloody Mary blend.

The St. Regis Houston's 'Harry's Texas' combines fresh tomato and lemon juice with tequila and a mix of Texas inspired spices

The St. Regis Mardavall Mallorca Resort's 'The Mardavall Pepper Snapper’ uses Fleur de Sel salt from Ses Salines, Gin, fresh tomato juice and a combination of Mediterranean spices

The St. Regis Aspen's 'Sunset Snapper' combines green, yellow and red tomato juice with vodka to emulate Colorado’s stunning sunsets

The St. Regis Bora Bora's 'Bora Mary' combines fresh watermelon or strawberry juice, vodka and lime with St. Regis' traditional Bloody Mary mix to create a refreshing St. Regis inspired exotic cocktail

As part of the 75th anniversary celebration, The St. Regis Beijing has created a special World Tour menu offering guests samples of unique Bloody Marys from its sister properties in North America, Europe and Asia.