When you think of a tomato-based cocktail, you probably have a Bloody Mary or a Caesar in mind. Now, these are both delicious and versatile drinks in their own right. And they can be gussied up by trading, for example, the salted rim for one with jerk spice or Tajin, or by subbing a crisp strip of bacon or a spear of pickled bean or daikon for the traditional celery stick.
But if you are really interested in the essence of tomato in your cocktail, Parth Patel, mixologist and co-owner of Plume Cocktail Bar, urges you to clarify your tomatoes, rather than adding them as a purée.
“When you add a seasonal ingredient like clarified tomato, you can make a different kind of martini,” he says. The key is to balance sour, sweet and acid.
Patel likes to start with black tomatoes. There are several varieties of these, such as black krim, indigo rose and black beauty. They get their characteristic colour from anthocyanins, a natural pigment and antioxidant. Patel says using black tomatoes will impart a richer colour to your cocktail, as well as a deep and savoury flavour profile.
The day before you make your cocktail, clarify your tomatoes. Patel recommends using this two step method because it collects more solids and leaves you with super clear tomato water. For two cocktails, measure out 120 mL of this liquid gold and set it aside, you can cover and refrigerate the remainder of the tomato water for up to five days.
Makes two cocktails
