The King Cole Bar in the St. Regis hotel is often cited as the American birthplace with its Red Snapper. It’s said that Fernand Petiot perfected the drink in the 30s when it was renamed the “Red Snapper” to make it more palatable to the hotel’s clientele. Today, St. Regis hotels exist around the world. And their drink menu reflects that worldly view. On their menu, they have Red Snappers/Bloody Marys that are themed after their hotel locations.

The decor of the bar is verrrry minimal. Like, almost entirely black. The only thing of note is the large painting above the bar reflected the fictional Old King Cole. To their credit, it is a gorgeous art and it’s incredibly eye catching.

Key Takeaways

For my trip to King Cole Bar, I tried the Shogun Mary, which is themed after their Osaka location. Let’s break down the flavor:

When I say this is a flavor bomb, I mean it. The flavors deliver a huge punch that honestly may be a bit too much. It’s a strong wasabi and soy sauce taste and little else to be honest. It’s served in a wine glass with no garnish besides a lemon wedge. It’s really nothing visually impressive and the flavors were too overpowering.

The cost of this is $25! This is definitely one of (if not the) most expensive Bloody I’ve ever had. And it was a let down that the flavor didn’t measure up to the cost.

My Rating: 4/10

Garnish – 0
Originality – 7
Spice/Flavor – 5
Presentation – 4
Texture – 9
Value – 3

Overall, I would say don’t try the Shogun Mary. There were other options on the list that seemed like much better choices. So, feel free to give those ones a try for the history of it and to take in the nice mural, but maybe don’t go too far out of your way for it.

The Recipe

On their website, St. Regis actually gives the recipe for this cocktail! So, check out below to see how to make this Osaka-inspired cocktail:

Perfumed with Japanese wasabi, this cocktail provides an unforgettable, locally inspired interpretation of the classic Bloody Mary. It uses traditional yuzu fruit that blends perfectly with the slight citrus notes of dry gin, followed by an enlivening finish from the signature zest of wasabi.

Ingredients:
1 slice lime or yuzu
1⁄4tsp / 1ml 100% yuzu or lime juice
Wasabi powder
1 pinch salt
1oz  / 30ml vodka
1⁄2oz  / 15ml premium dry gin
1⁄4tsp / 1ml soy sauce
3oz / 80ml tomato juice

Directions:
Rim a 6oz / 180ml martini glass with the juice of a slice of yuzu or lime. Dip top of the glass into a mixture of salt and wasabi powder. Combine the vodka, gin, soy sauce, yuzu (or lime) and tomato juice with cubed ice. Shake and pour into the prepared glass.

https://st-regis.marriott.com/culture/bloody-mary-ritual/#shogun-mary