Queen of the Seas, or In honor of whom the Bloody Mary cocktail was named
Queen of the Seas, or In honor of whom the Bloody Mary cocktail was named

Video: Queen of the Seas, or In honor of whom the Bloody Mary cocktail was named

Video: Queen of the Seas, or In honor of whom the Bloody Mary cocktail was named
Video: Chapter 1 | The Circus - YouTube 2024, November
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Lisa Gastoney as Mary Reed, 1961
Lisa Gastoney as Mary Reed, 1961

Versions of how it appeared Bloody Mary cocktail and why it was so named, there are about a dozen, and due to the remoteness of events, it is hardly possible to choose one of them as the only true one. But one of the most interesting is the version that the cocktail was named after the merciless and desperate Pirate Women - Mary Reed … Her life was full of adventures and formed the basis of an action-packed film.

Lisa Gastoney as Mary Reed, 1961
Lisa Gastoney as Mary Reed, 1961

Mary Reed was born in England around 1685. Her mother married a sailor who left her, leaving her pregnant. He died in a shipwreck, the woman gave birth to a boy a few months later, but he died before he was one year old. The frivolous beauty soon became pregnant again and gave birth to a girl. From infancy, she was dressed up as a boy in order to convince the rich mother-in-law that this was her grandson, and to receive financial assistance from her.

Ann Bonnie and Mary Reed. Old engravings
Ann Bonnie and Mary Reed. Old engravings

At the age of 15, Mary left for Flanders, where, under the name Mark and in men's clothing, she was enrolled in an infantry regiment as a cadet. She later went on to serve in the cavalry and fought for several years, showing desperate courage and cruelty. Mary decided to reveal her secret when she fell in love with a comrade in arms. They got married and retired. The young couple rented a house in Holland and equipped the Three Horseshoe Tavern there.

Postage stamp depicting female pirates Anne Bonnie and Mary Reed
Postage stamp depicting female pirates Anne Bonnie and Mary Reed

But they were not destined to heal a measured and calm family life. Mary's husband died suddenly, the tavern did not bring much income, and the woman decided to join the infantry regiment again. Once the ship on which Mary was heading to the West Indies was captured by pirates. Finding herself on a pirate schooner, the woman suddenly realized that this was exactly what she was looking for - adventure, adrenaline, battles and good profits. So at the age of 25, Mary Reed became a pirate, under the name of John Reed.

Scene from the movie The Adventures of Mary Reed, 1961
Scene from the movie The Adventures of Mary Reed, 1961
Scene from the film The Adventures of Mary Reed, 1961
Scene from the film The Adventures of Mary Reed, 1961

During sea raids, pirates captured a large number of merchant ships and killed many sailors. Two women among the pirates, Mary Reed and Anne Bonnie, wife of Captain John Rackham, were especially brutal in battles. For their ferocity in battle, they received the nickname "fierce cats of hell."

Lisa Gastoney as Mary Reed, 1961
Lisa Gastoney as Mary Reed, 1961

In the fall of 1720, the pirate ship Dragon was attacked by an English royal frigate. The pirates were captured and brought to justice on their arrival in Jamaica. They were all sentenced to be hanged, but two women were spared as both of them were pregnant. But Mary Reed died, presumably of a fever. There is also a version that she was secretly killed. Since Mary loved more than anything else in the world, bloody combat and hard booze, it is believed that the Bloody Mary cocktail was named after her.

Ann Bonnie and Mary Reed. Engraving 1724
Ann Bonnie and Mary Reed. Engraving 1724
Scene from the film The Adventures of Mary Reed, 1961
Scene from the film The Adventures of Mary Reed, 1961

However, other versions are also being put forward. In British history, there was another "Bloody Mary" - this was the name of the merciless Mary I Tudor, who dealt with the disagreeable with special cruelty. During her reign, about 300 Protestants were burned at the stake. True, it is difficult to say whether an alcoholic cocktail is associated with her name.

Scene from the film The Adventures of Mary Reed, 1961
Scene from the film The Adventures of Mary Reed, 1961
Scene from the movie The Adventures of Mary Reed, 1961
Scene from the movie The Adventures of Mary Reed, 1961

The tomato-vodka cocktail owes its birth to the bartender Fernando Petiot, who worked in the Parisian bar "New York" at the beginning of the twentieth century. But the French then did not appreciate the drink, it gained wide popularity in America in the 1930s. If you believe this version, the cocktail got its name in honor of an ordinary girl Mary, who often visited the bar. The creation of "Bloody Mary" is even credited to Ernest Hemingway, and although this opinion is erroneous, the cocktail was definitely among the Hemingway's favorite drinks

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