Admittedy this pub is technically in Belgravia but given it's simply a walk away from Sloane Square I feel compelled to share my great experience. Not only did the Virgin Mary have the perfect kick to wake me from my hungover state of mind, the flavours were wonderfully complex as they should be. Traces of celery and horseradish could be tasted in amongst the Tabasco, Worcestershire Sauce and seasoning that it was such a delight to savour a drink that tasted as if care and thought had been put into its recipe. This drink was like a delicious meal in itself and rightly so.
My favourite memory of ordering a Virgin Mary involves the King’s Arms on Fulham Road. I had been at The Sporting Page and Sophie’s Steakhouse earlier and whilst everyone else continued drinking, I ordered a Virgin Mary. It was a Tuesday night and given that a Gentle Sea Breeze was simply too tame and sweet for my tastebuds, I decided on something with a definite albeit innocent punch.
So the barman served me my drink and I tasted it, only to discover that it was simply tomato juice: “It’s just tomato juice,” I told him. But he didn’t think anything of it. In fact, the barman told me that he normally served Virgin Mary as tomato juice with ice; the ice being the extra ingredient. The barman then elaborated that no one had ever complained either. After much debate and the realisation that I was never going to get the drink I wanted, I ended up ordering a Gin and Tonic instead.
This of course was an extreme situation and there are many a competent Virgin or be it Bloody Mary out there. But the Virgin Mary at The Thomas Cubitt worked its complete charm on me. It was exactly what the doctor ordered for a suffering head and it was utterly delicious.
