Set within century-old five-star institution the St Regis, and named in honour of the Maxfield Parrish mural depicting the proverbial ‘merry old soul’, this New York bar is synonymous with the Bloody Mary.
The story goes that barman Fernand Petiot, who headed up the King Cole from 1934 to 1966, ‘remixed’ a plain vodka and tomato juice drink he’d previously created while working at Harry’s New York Bar, Paris, adding the salt, pepper, hot sauce, Worcestershire and lemon juice that characterise what we know as the Bloody Mary today.
King Cole Bar, The St Regis Hotel, Two East 55th Street, Fifth Avenue, New York 10022.