Tracing the Origins of the Red Snapper Cocktail

Red Snapper cocktail in a highball glass with lemon wedge and celery stalk

The Red Snapper stands as an intriguing cocktail with a rich backstory, easily mistaken for its close sibling, the Bloody Mary. Yet its identity, history, and recipe are distinct, woven through early 20th-century cocktail culture and marked by innovation under constraint.

A Cocktail Born From Adaptation

Though the Red Snapper recipe today echoes the Bloody Mary, its origin is rooted in resourcefulness. When vodka was scarce in post-Prohibition America, particularly in New York, bartenders substituted gin to satisfy the cravings of those who’d acquired a taste for tomato-based, savory drinks. This ingenious twist turned a vodka staple into a gin classic.

The St. Regis Hotel and the Origin Story

The most widely cited tale places the cocktail's birth at the King Cole Bar inside the St. Regis Hotel, New York, in the early 1930s. Fernand Petiot, a bartender who’d helped invent the Bloody Mary in Paris, arrived at the St. Regis hoping to serve his signature cocktail. However, American patrons found vodka too harsh and unfamiliar, while Prohibition-era regulations and import issues made it rare. Gin, then the spirit of the moment, became Petiot’s go-to base.

The hotel's management, perhaps wary of the name’s risqué connotations, rechristened the cocktail 'Red Snapper.' Petiot reportedly adjusted the recipe for local palates, subtly tweaking the seasoning and maintaining gin as the foundation.

Red Snapper vs. Bloody Mary: Key Differences

While the Red Snapper and the Bloody Mary share the same canvas—juicy tomato, piquant spice—they paint markedly different characters due to their base spirits. Gin's botanicals mingle with tomato and spice in ways that vodka’s neutrality never mimics. The resulting drink delivers aromatic complexity and a brighter, more herbaceous profile.

Red Snapper: Built on gin, emphasizing botanical flavors.
Bloody Mary: Based on vodka, highlighting spice and tomato.

Red Snapper cocktail ingredients gin tomato juice spices

Impact and Enduring Legacy

The Red Snapper quickly became a brunch staple among adventurous drinkers, especially in New York high society. Over the decades, this gin-based cousin to the Bloody Mary appeared on bar menus from London to Los Angeles, often reclaimed by modern bartenders as a complex, savory alternative for those seeking more than classic vodka fare.

Its presence in cocktail culture remains a statement: the Red Snapper appeals to those who appreciate gin’s depth and prefer a drink with layered, aromatic nuance. The name itself now evokes a classic, slightly irreverent twist on the expected—and a nod to bartenders’ creativity during times of limitation.

Classic Red Snapper Recipe (Cocktail Bar Standard)

50 ml London dry gin
100 ml fresh tomato juice
15 ml fresh lemon juice
2 ml Worcestershire sauce
1 ml Tabasco sauce (or to taste)
1 ml freshly ground black pepper
1 ml fine sea salt
1 celery stalk or lemon wedge (for garnish)

Chill a tall highball glass.
Fill a shaker with ice and add gin, tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire, Tabasco, pepper, and salt.
Roll (do not shake hard) the ingredients between shaker tins to lightly aerate and mix.
Strain into the chilled highball glass over fresh ice.
Garnish with a celery stalk or lemon wedge.

Some modern variations invite additional ingredients—celery salt, horseradish, or even cucumber-infused gin—but the classic Red Snapper cocktail recipe is defined by its balanced interplay of gin botanicals, tomato, acidity, and savory heat.

Classic Red Snapper served with lemon and celery

Modern Influence and Bartender Creativity

Today, the Red Snapper endures as more than a footnote in cocktail history. Gin-based savory brunch drinks have carved out a loyal following, partly thanks to this cocktail’s refreshing herbal character and ability to play well with adventurous garnishes and house-made spice blends.

Especially in the gin revival of the past decade, bartenders experiment with different styles—navy strength, barrel-aged, or citrus-forward gins—to put new spins on the original Red Snapper recipe cocktail.
The drink’s savory backbone pairs well with creative additions: pickled beans, smoked salt, microgreens, or even a splash of sherry.
It’s frequently used as a template for showcasing local gin, fresh tomato varieties, or house hot sauces.

The Red Snapper’s legacy is a testament to adaptation and flavor. Whether enjoyed as a brunch staple or an afternoon refresher, it continues to inspire both classicists and innovators behind the bar.