10 Great Places to Toast Bloody Mary's 75th

Say cheers to the Bloody Mary as the brunch favorite celebrates its 75th anniversary this month. Dale DeGroff, author of The Essential Cocktail, shares with Kelly DiNardo for USA TODAY his list of great bars where you can sip the classic cocktail.

The Bar at the St. Regis, Washington, D.C.

Settle into one of the plush purple chairs in this royal-colored lounge and try the Capital Mary, a Mid-Atlantic spin on the classic Bloody Mary. Made with tomato juice, clam juice, sweet vermouth and gin, the cocktail is topped with ice cubes infused with Old Bay seasoning and garnished with a crab finger or shrimp. 202-509-8000

King Cole Bar, New York

This dark, woody bar tucked into the St. Regis hotel claims to have created the Bloody Mary in 1934, when French bartender Fernand Petiot put his own spin on a tomato juice-based cocktail popular in his home country. Originally called the Bloody Mary, it was renamed the Red Snapper, a name considered more appropriate for the hotel's elegant guests. The drink is still made as it was then, with vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, salt, pepper, cayenne and Worcestershire sauce. "It's the original," DeGroff says. "The most classic of the classics." 212-339-6721

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Commander's Palace, New Orleans

Appropriately situated in the Garden District, this turquoise-colored restaurant serves up a Bloody Mary garnished with pickled okra, pearl onions, olives and a dilly bean, a pickled green bean. "I love that as you go from region to region, people put their own twist on it and use all these creative garnishes," DeGroff says. "Every vegetable known to man has ended up as a garnish in a Bloody Mary." For a little extra punch, Commander's Palace rims the glass with its own Cajun red pepper powder and tops it all off with a little Louisiana hot sauce. 504-899-8221; commanderspalace.com

Perry's, San Francisco

Those who don't want a full garden in their Bloody Mary should pull up a seat at Perry's in San Francisco. This landmark saloon keeps it simple with tomato juice, vodka, hot sauce, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce and a glass rimmed with kosher salt. "It's like barbecue in America," DeGroff says. "Everyone thinks their Bloody Mary is the best. Whether you like it simple or garnished with a garden's-worth of vegetables, balance is key. Perry's is very well-balanced." 415-922-9022; perryssf.com