The tomato’s limited yet lush seasonal run never lacks in possibility. But once you’ve had a respectable number of ripe, peak season tomatoes layered on toast, with noodles or in salads, grab the cocktail shaker and head to the bar.
“When tomatoes really shine, that’s when you want to add them to a cocktail,” said Shannon Ponche, a bartender at I Sodi in New York City. “If you want to eat it, then that’s when it should go into your drink.”
Recipe: Green Tomato Martini
A fine way to start incorporating the tomato’s vegetal flavor into your next drink is by making sweet-savory, lightly acidic tomato water. Set a cheesecloth-lined strainer over a bowl, add blended tomatoes and salt, and use the liquid that falls through in your next cocktail. The process takes little effort but, like a good cold brew or iced tea, it requires a slow, unhurried drip for the best results. (For the impatient, you should have enough for at least one cocktail after 20 to 30 minutes.)
Then, add it to a martini. By making a batch of tomato water with green heirlooms, the green tomato martini takes on a pale green hue. Combined with gin, dry and blanc vermouth, the drink pairs the distinct booziness of a traditional martini with a romp through the garden.
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