A Bloody good holiday

I've said it before and I stand by it: Vacation does not start for me until that first Bloody Mary is in hand. A recent quick trip away proved, yet again, that I am truly a creature of habit. Even with a bottle of bubbly, a massage and an anniversary dinner behind me, the decompression did not really begin until I found myself with a delicious, nutritious tomato cocktail in hand.

Now, I have a great Bloody Mary recipe, which I will share within the context here. However, I am always on the hunt for a good Bloody, and, like a great sandwich, they are always better when someone else makes them.

Normally, like a well-trained bloodhound, I have the snout down and my big floppy ears wafting the scent of my hunt up into my nostrils. On this not particular Monday morning, however, as we walked around the sleepy-eyed town of San Luis Obispo looking for a recommended "hot spot," it was my beautiful bride whose eyes caught a simple black sign with a neon sheep on it. She nonchalantly said, "follow me." Yet another reason I love her.

As we walked through the threshold of this old, drab pub, you could sense that this place had energy pulsing though the grain of the dark, oak-lined walls. With one thing now on the mind, we bellied up to the bar for a vacation "kick start." With a mildly edgy dame behind the bar, I ordered, excused myself, and headed off to the little boys room to freshen up. As I walked away, I heard my beautiful bride warn the woman that I was a little particular about my chosen beverage, to which she replied, "me too!" As I returned, fresh as a daisy, I was greeted by my wide-eyed lover with a smile from ear to ear and a wink. I vaguely remember the words "oh, your gonna love this!"

Now here is where I need to break and quantify my definition of a good Bloody Mary. The Bloody Mary was created by Pete Petiot, a bartender at Harry's New York Bar in Paris. In 1933, "Pistol Pete" brought the drink to the states when he became the head bar man at the St. Regis Hotel's King Cole Bar. Pierre said he named it after Mary Tudor, the Queen of England, for her bloody persecution of Protestants.

Traditionally made with tomato juice, vodka, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, celery salt and pepper, a traditional version can often be wonderful when executed to perfection. Now, for me, a Bloody Mary has to have a kick, something that makes your eyes widen and your sinuses loosen up. It needs to say GOOD MORNING! Thickness is critical.

Bloody Mary A Timeless Urban Legend | Paranormal Phenomenon

- Be driven insane or scared to death from the sight of her.

As I see it this is one of the most talked about and  common of any urban legend of all time. As it is one of the older urban legends over the years there have been many different versions and some confusion of its origination. From what I have read there are 3 different women in history that all get twisted together when this urban legend is told. Mary Tudor (Queen Mary I)and Mary Worth are two names and their parts in history, one being the Queen of England and the other a witch burned at the stake during the witch trials .

Queen Mary I who reigned during the Tudor period has been mistaken as “Bloody Mary.” It is easy to understand the mistaken identity because Mary Tudor was a rather gruesome ruler burning and executing people for heresy to the point that the streets reeked from the burnt corpses and decaying bodies. A different version of the legend talks of a baby, such as “Bloody Mary I stole your baby”. Mary Tudor suffered from multiple phantom pregnancies with no record of ever giving birth leading to the conclusion of her infertility. This legend states that Bloody Mary had a child, so Mary Tudor is not the women that this urban legend is based on, however, there are many similarities to the woman I believe it to be based on.

Mary Worth who was a witch that dabbled in the black arts and was later burned at the stake for crimes of witch craft is the most likely origin of the urban legend of “Blood Mary.” It is believed that Mary Worth did not have any children but this does not rule her out as the origin of this urban legend. It may not have been proven but local children started to go missing and the townsfolk searched but found no clue to their whereabouts. Mary was later tried as a witch, found guilty and sentenced to burn at the stake. Before she died, as the flames devoured her flesh, she curse the town and it’s people.  The curse was one of revenge to anyone who dared say they believe in her 3 times.

I am unable to find any evidence to back up this next possible origin but I remember reading this story and it stands out of a very close runner up to the real origin of this urban legend. I do not have any names but it happened a few hundred years ago, back in the era of witch hunts and trials. A commoner had an affair with the mayor of her town but when the woman began to show all the signs of being pregnant the mayor ignored her and even shunned her. Until the day of the child’s birth he denied her and the child. The resemblance between the mayor and the little girl was undeniable. To save face the mayor made the decision to force the little girl and her mother out of the town. The town’s people in an unforgivable act of cruelty chased her out of town with rocks and whips. This wasn’t enough for the mayor as he ordered her killed and in a depraved twist had her watch her own death in a mirror. With her last breathe she cursed the town and all its town folk saying she would have her revenge if anyone dared to say her name 3 times while looking into a mirror. This story appears to have the most possibility of being the real origin of this urban legend however with no facts to back it up its hard to say if it could have happened or if it is just a well written short story.

Mary Tudor, Princess, Bastard, Queen

Mary Tudor, Courageous Queen Or Bloody Mary?

Queen in Waiting, A Life of "Bloody Mary" Tudor

Reforming Catholicism in the England of Mary Tudor, the achievement of Friar Bartolomé Carranza

Mary, Bloody Mary