Tomato Martini made with Tomato Water

Name: Tomato Martini
Prep time: 10 min
Ingredients: tomato salt to rim the glass (optional); 2 ounces Absolut Peppar Vodka; 2 ounces tomato water (Strained from fresh or dried rehydrated tomatoes); 2 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice; pinch of smoked paprika

Home » Tomato Recipes » Tomato Water Martini: A Signature Summer Cocktail

Quick Summary: Clear tomato water makes an elegant, intensely flavored martini. Includes tips for extracting tomato water from fresh or rehydrated dried tomatoes, plus a recipe for tomato salt to rim the glass. Make this your signature summer drink. Prep: 10 min | Serves: 1

Bartending in Portland got me through graduate school, and I’ve made more use of those skills than my urban planning degree. Back then, bartending was about speed and memory. Now it’s evolved into mixology, where creativity with fresh ingredients matters most.

Tomato water is one of my favorite discoveries. It’s the clear liquid you get when draining fresh tomato pulp or rehydrating dried tomatoes. Intense tomato flavor, crystal clear, perfect for cocktails.

I grow heirloom tomatoes at HeathGlen Organic Farm, and tomato water is a serendipitous byproduct of processing them. Smoked tomatoes create deeper, more intense tomato water. Fresh tomatoes yield brighter flavor. Either makes an exceptional martini.

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Using Shrub Syrups in Cocktails

Some of the most creative cocktails today use fruit-infused simple syrups or shrub syrups. Shrub syrups combine fruit, sugar, and vinegar for sweet-tart complexity.

You can make your own homemade tomato shrub syrup for even more concentrated tomato flavor in cocktails.

Drink syrups are non-alcoholic, so they also work with sparkling water for mocktails. Since getting a soda maker, I’ve been experimenting with these syrups constantly.

Four different homemade drink syrups on a platter. — Fruit-flavored homemade drink syrups

Making Tomato Water

Tomato water is the clear liquid extracted from tomato pulp. Several methods work:

From fresh tomatoes: Strain overripe tomatoes through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth. Let gravity do the work; don’t press or the liquid will cloud.
From blanching: When blanching tomatoes to remove skins, save the liquid.
From frozen tomatoes: Thaw frozen tomatoes and collect the liquid that releases.
From dried tomatoes: Rehydrate dried tomatoes in water, then strain and save the liquid.
Smoked tomatoes create deeper, more intense tomato water. Fresh tomatoes yield brighter flavor.

Ingredients to make a tomato martini and a martini in a glass. — Ingredients for tomato martini

How to Make a Tomato Martini

The full instructions and ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below. In short:

Rim a martini glass with tomato salt (run a lime wedge around the rim, dip in tomato salt).
Combine pepper vodka, tomato water, fresh lime juice, and a pinch of smoked paprika in a shaker with ice.
Shake for 10 seconds and strain into the glass.
Garnish with a cherry tomato, fresh mozzarella ball, or basil leaf.

Tomato Salt for Rimming Cocktails

Tomato salt makes a beautiful rim for bloody marys or tomato martinis. It’s simple: grind dried tomatoes with Maldon sea salt in a 50/50 ratio.

Tomato salt made with dried tomatoe and salt — Dried tomato salt

I use tomato salt on everything now, including eggs, chicken, roasted vegetables, cocktails. If you don’t want the salt, check out this post for a homemade tomato powder (no salt).

Bowl of tomato powder and 3 heirloom tomatoes — Finished Dehydrated Tomato Powder

No dried tomatoes? Save some of the end-of-season plum tomatoes and follow these tips for dehydrating your own homegrown tomatoes for the Winter pantry.

Principe Borghese tomatoes drying in the sun

More Tomato Cocktail Ideas….

Tomato & Smoked Cherry Shrub Daiquiri — Tomato & Cherry Shrub Daiquiri

FAQ

What vodka works best?

Absolut Peppar (pepper-infused) adds subtle heat that complements the tomato. Plain vodka works too.

Can I use store-bought tomato water?

It’s not commonly sold. Making your own from fresh or dried tomatoes is easy and tastes better.

How long does tomato water keep?

Refrigerated, 3-5 days. Freeze for longer storage.

Can I make this as a mocktail?

Yes. Skip the vodka and add sparkling water. The tomato water and lime juice still create a refreshing drink.

What’s the difference between this and a bloody mary?

A bloody mary uses tomato juice (thick, pulpy). A tomato martini uses tomato water (clear, intense). The martini is more elegant and less filling.

Check out this collection of popular tomato recipes for a range of tomato recipes, from fresh salsas to slow cooked stews, to tomato martinis.

Tomato Martini

How to Use Tomato Water and Tomato Salt in Making Craft Cocktails.

4.34 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 0

Servings

Calories 149

Author Dorothy Stainbrook

Ingredients

tomato salt to rim the glass optional
2 ounces Absolut Peppar Vodka
2 ounces tomato water Strained from fresh or dried rehydrated tomatoes
2 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
pinch of smoked paprika

Instructions

Mix together dried tomato powder and salt (50/50 ratio) and pour out onto a plate. Run a lime wedge around the rim of your glass and dip the rim into the tomato salt (this is optional).
tomato salt to rim the glass
Combine vodka, tomato water, lime juice and paprika in tumbler with ice.
2 ounces Absolut Peppar Vodka, 2 ounces tomato water, 2 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice, pinch of smoked paprika
Shake ingredients for 1 seconds and strain into a martini glass.
garnish with cherry tomato or fresh mozzarella balls and/or fresh basil.

Notes

To make a tomato shrub syrup that is more tangy and concentrated, check out this guide to making homemade drink syrups.

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Nutrition

Calories: 149kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 4mgPotassium: 170mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 487IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 1mg

Did you make this recipe?If you tried this recipe, please give it a star rating! To do this, just click on the stars above. Comments are always helpful also and I respond to all of them (except rude ones)

Cheers, Dorothy

Cyndy Crist says:

February 18, 2012 at 8:25 am

Yum – can’t wait to try this! Given what I have on hand, I’ll try mine using Belvedere’s Bloody Mary vodka. And come summer, I’m going to try making fresh tomato water to use; I saw Jamie Oliver do this and it looked beautiful and sounded delicious. You’re so right – mixology can be lots of fun.

Gloria Raheja says:

February 22, 2012 at 1:19 am

Fabulous recipe, Dorothy! We loved it, and it was great that I happened to have a few of your sun-dried heirloom tomatoes on hand to do it right. The sun-dried tomato salt alone is wonderful, we want to try it on grilled marlin or swordfish.