Pick the last of the late-summer tomatoes and mix this rosy-red martini riff. Unlike many takes on the Tomato Martini spotted of late, which first require making tomato water, this version quickly smashes a fresh tomato right in the cocktail shaker. Originally created in 2010 at LPM Restaurant & Bar in Dubai by bartender Jimmy Barrat (now of Ergo), that ripe, fresh tomato is “essential in obtaining the desired intensity of flavor,” explains LPM Global Bar Manager Tibor Krascsenics.
Why have so many “Tomatinis” sprouted on bar menus lately? “The rise in demand for savory cocktails has pushed bartenders to get more creative,” Krascsenics says. And the tomato is especially versatile: “It can be handled and used with ingredients in almost any way you can think of.” Dressed with a splash of balsamic and a quick dash of salt and pepper, we think this fresh, garden-scented cocktail is one of the best uses of the peak-season crop.
The Tomatini
Courtesy Tibor Krascsenics, Global Bar Manager, LPM Restaurant & Bar, Las Vegas, NV
Ingredients 1 ripe Campari tomato, sliced into quarters (about ½ cup total) 1 ½ ounces Ketel One Vodka ¹⁄₃ ounce white balsamic vinegar Pinch of salt and black pepper 1 barspoon simple syrup Black pepper, for garnish Cherry tomato, for garnish Instructions
This Article was originally published on Wine Enthusiast
