You are currently browsing the monthly archive for December 2008.
A new year means a new look! We have been working hard to give our website a much needed facelift. After much planning and thought we decided to develop a site that that was fun and a little more interactive.
The new site will feature updates when we create new blog posts and when we add new merchandise to our online store. In addition, we now welcome advertisers to explore our space and consider advertising here. All ads have to be approved by Happy Hour Studio staff, and pricing for ad space varies. We want to thank the designer at Artistic Escape for creating our identity!
Over the past couple of months we have received a couple questions that we would like to address:
Where is Happy Hour Studio Going (in the future)?
We know that the economy has not been the greatest lately, especially for small businesses. We are being forced to cut costs and think about money for even our daily routine decisions. It’s a tough market, but we want to assure you that Happy Hour Studio is not going anywhere! We intend to stay afloat, but we need your help! Please continue to spread the word, to purchase our awesome products, and to come out to our events. We appreciate your support and we have nothing but love for you! You keep us going! And you definitely keep happy hour going!
What about the next Fusion event? What happened there?
In early November we were in the midst of putting together a winter happy hour for December. Unfortunately, the venue we had in mind fell through. No worries though, we are a company of our word, and we do have another event in the works. We don’t want to put the details out there before everything is confirmed. Also, this time around we are partnering up with a couple other great, local companies, so we are looking forward to creating an event that is bigger and better than ever. We appreciate your patience! A new Fusion is on its way!
The Bloody Mary is the latest beverage to be released by Happy Hour Studio. Just a reminder, you can order prints and merchandise online through our website.
The History of this Drink:
The way the story is often told, Mary was the brainchild of Fernand “Pete” Petiot, an American bartender working at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris during the Roaring 20s. As you probably know and have experienced before, bartenders regularly mix up all kinds of concoctions to keep their clientele interested.
Research suggests that it was pure luck, not strategic planning, when Petiot combined tomato juice and vodka. A colleague named it, and not after the Rogers and Hammerstein character. In this version of the tale, the drink preceded the show “South Pacific” by some 25 years (the show opened on Broadway on April 7, 1949). Nor was it named after Mary, Queen of Scots. According to research by McIlhenny Company, makers of Tabasco brand pepper sauce, an essential Bloody Mary ingredient, Petiot said that “one of the boys suggested we call the drink ‘Bloody Mary’ because it reminded him of the Bucket of Blood Club in Chicago, and a girl there named Mary.”
In 1934 Petiot took a job at the King Cole Bar at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City (ultimately becoming head barman). It was there in the 1940s that he introduced the Bloody Mary. The hotel tried to change the name to the Red Snapper, but it didn’t have the same snap. While they like the name, New Yorkers found the cocktail a bit bland, and encouraged Petiot to add some seasoning. He chose black pepper, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, lemon, and, for patrons who liked it spicy, Tabasco sauce, largely formulating the Bloody Mary we know and love. When the drink became a national sensation in the 1950s, Petiot claimed he had invented it while working at Harry’s New York Bar in the 1920s. (this history lesson is from http://www.thenibble.com)
How you make a Bloody Mary:
Nothing is better in the morning or on a cold day than the spicy tomato flavor of a Bloody Mary. You can make it as spicy or mild as you want, using either more or less hot sauce, or by adding a little spice from tequila if you want a different taste. Bloody Marys are often garnished with a celery stalk (for something different, try garnishing with a pickle).
Ingredients:
- 3 oz tomato juice
- 1 1/2 oz vodka
- 1/2 oz lemon juice
- 1 dash of Worcestershire sauce
- celery salt
- ground pepper
- hot pepper sauce to taste
- celery stalk and/or pickle spear for garnish
- lemon and/or lime wedge for garnish
Preparation:
- Build the liquid ingredients in a highball glass ver ice cubes.
- Mix well.
- Add the seasonings to taste.
- Garnish with celery stalk.
If anyone knows any variations of this drink, feel free to post them as comments here! Happy drinking!
