The King Cole Bar is an upscale cocktail lounge in The St. Regis Hotel

The St. Regis Hotel

The St. Regis New York is a Forbes five-star, AAA five-diamond luxury hotel in Manhattan. It stands on Fifth Avenue, four blocks from Central Park.-Construction and opening:...

 in Midtown Manhattan

Manhattan

Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

.

Many mixologists believe the Bloody Mary

Bloody Mary

- Personalities :* Mary I of England, Queen of England and Ireland* Bloody Mary , a ghost said to appear in mirrors when summonedQueen of England & Ireland in the Tudor era.Daughter of Henry VIII.- Literature :...

 made its first U.S. appearance in the King Cole Bar. The drink was then called "The Red Snapper," after originally being invented by Fernand Petiot

Fernand Petiot

Fernand Petiot was a bartender who claimed to have created the Bloody Mary, a popular cocktail drink.-Biography:...

 at Harry's New York Bar

Harry's New York Bar

Harry's New York Bar is a well-known bar in Paris, France.-History:Located at 5, Rue Daunou, between the Avenue de l'Opéra and the Rue de la Paix in Paris, France, the bar was acquired by former American star jockey Tod Sloan in 1911, who converted it from a bistro and renamed it the "New York...

 in Paris, France. Others contend that the iconic drink, now one of the Official Cocktails of the International Bartenders Association

International Bartenders Association

The International Bartenders Association, often confused with the International Bar Association, founded on February 24, 1951 in the Saloon of the Grand Hotel in Torquay, England, is an international organization established in order to represent the best bartenders in the world.An annual event,...

, was indeed invented in the King Cole Bar.
Originally, the King Cole Bar was about fifty feet east of the small but ornate lobby of The St. Regis. It was a large room with many circular tables and a long north-south bar above which was the famous Parrish painting. In more recent years, the bar was moved to a far smaller room east of that spot. The wonderful mural, or perhaps a slightly smaller version of the painting, is still in the bar. It features "Old King Cole" who was a "merry old soul" calling for his 'fiddlers three' and some other musicians.
The lounge has a large mural

Mural

A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...

 by artist Maxfield Parrish

Maxfield Parrish

Maxfield Parrish was an American painter and illustrator active in the first half of the twentieth century. He is known for his distinctive saturated hues and idealized neo-classical imagery.-Life:...

hanging behind the bar, from which the venue derives its name.