Forrest Mason (NOFO); Getty Images (INGREDIENTS)
DRINK
Proud MARY Bartenders and aficionados opine on the Queen of Cocktails by BILLY WARDEN
M
ary is complicated: She can be down to earth, or as garish as Madonna and Elton John sharing a double bill in Vegas. She has gone by other names, including The Bucket of Blood and The Red Hammer. She’s widely recognized as The First Lady of Brunch. But you know her as Bloody Mary. 40 | WALTER
“It’s kind of a symphony of experience for your nose and mouth,” says Raleigh Bloody Mary aficionado Dustin Ingalls, who recalls sampling an alcohol-free Virgin Mary at the tender age of 16 — and being instantly enamored. The basic ingredients are tomato juice, vodka, celery, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, olives, and lemon. Right out of the gate, Mary is a melée com-
pared to the refined Manhattan or gin and tonic. And from there, she gets even twistier. “No one has a definitive recipe,” says Ingalls, an example of the many passionate amateur barkeeps devoted to Mary. “It’s a perfect vehicle for mixological experimentation.” In an attempt to better understand Mary, I asked about her on social me-
