PUNCH: This Tomato Martini Transcends the Trend

A tomato liqueur turns the internet’s favorite summer drink into a year-round staple.

ne might reasonably wonder why it is that I’ve waited for summer to end to share the perfect tomato Martini recipe. Well, in part, I wanted to let the TikToks, the trend pieces, the Reddit threads—the hubbub over tomato Martinis—die down, because people need to hear this. But it’s also because the secret to my tomato Martini recipe is not beholden to the short, finite window of peak tomato season. In fact, it allows you to tap into the magic of that brief period whenever the mood strikes. That’s part of its beauty. It also delivers what no other tomato Martini can: 72 varieties of the fruit squeezed into a one-of-a-kind liqueur that takes this recipe to the next level. 

The liqueur in question is aptly named Tomates, and it comes from the obsessive brain of biodynamic distiller (and winemaker) Laurent Cazottes. After researching thousands of known tomato cultivars and planting a selection of heirloom varieties on his farm in southwestern France, Cazottes harvests 72 types to be used in this organic tomato liqueur. Picked by hand and left to dry to concentrate their flavor, the tomatoes have their peels, stems and seeds removed before macerating in Cazottes’ own folle noire grape distillate. This pomace is then pressed and redistilled, then combined with some of the original maceration before bottling. The result is an amazingly fresh, delicate liqueur with a hint of earthy tomato “funk.” In a Martini, the liqueur brings a welcome salinity that makes for the cleanest take on the dirty Martini, with just a subtle hint of umami and an underlying freshness.

The Best Tomato Martini

Thanks to tomato liqueur, this summer staple can be enjoyed year-round.

Before you balk at the price, know that I’ve done the math. A half-bottle (375 milliliters) of Tomates will run you a penny under $70. That’s 25 Martinis per bottle, or about $3 of the stuff per Martini. Combining it with navy-strength gin (my recommended base for the drink) and a classic dry vermouth, you should end up with a Martini that costs around $5. For the ability to conjure the best tomato Martini on a whim—even out of season—I’d say that’s a bargain.

Laurent Cazottes Tomates Organic Tomato Liqueur

French producer Laurent Cazottes is known for his preservationist approach when it comes to rare fruits, and this tomato liqueur puts his interests front and center. Formerly named 72 Tomates, and now known simply as Tomates, this unique liqueur marries 72 varieties of heirloom tomatoes—all cultivated by Cazottes at his farm—into a product that is equal parts fresh, funky and savory. With no comparison on the market, it’s a must-try, particularly in a tomato Martini where it outshines even fresh tomato water.

• ABV:18%

Clear as a Bell

These elegant (but electric) digestifs are the perfect pick-me-up, nightcap, and grand finale—all in one glass

BY AMIEL STANEK PHOTOGRAPH BY ISA ZAPATA

Once the dessert forks have been surrendered and everyone swears they couldn’t possibly take even one more bite, a final pour of something special on Thanksgiving just feels right. While I can see the merits of trotting out a bottle of bark-bitter amaro or a mellow bourbon that’s seen a few years in oak, these days I take a different tack. When I want to round out a big meal in style, the choice is clear—a clear spirit, that is. I’m talking about things like eau-de-vie, grappa, mezcal, and clairin. Though these liquors are unique in terms of their geographic origin, composition, and production, they share a brazen character, making them ideal meal-enders. Instead of relying on extensive aging in wood to lend complexity, each spirit tastes unabashedly of the raw materials from which they were distilled and the places where they were made. Heirloom apples. Hand-harvested grapes. Pit-roasted agave. Wild-fermented sugarcane. These idiosyncratic products are as lively and expressive as the day they trickled out of the still; with no time spent in barrels to discipline their rougher edges, flavor has nowhere to hide. And at the end of a rich meal, one sharp sip immediately snaps you back to consciousness, like a cold plunge after a sweaty sauna session.

As is the case with all booze, spirits made with care by small, independent producers are going to be more compelling and often boast a price tag to match. But this is the most special of occasions, after all—when else are you going to break out the good stuff?

CYRIL ZANGS – DOUBLE ZÉRO EAU-DE-VIE DE CIDRE

This bright 100-proof apple brandy is a collaboration between culty Normandy cider maker Cyril Zangs and renowned distillery Calvados Roger Groult. It smells and tastes like a brisk fall stroll through an orchard: ripe fruit, a crisp breeze,

LAURENT CAZOTTES – GOUTTE DE REINE CLAUDE DORÉE

Laurent Cazottes’s eaux-de-vie are the stuff of legend, crafted from small parcels of his own lovingly tended trees and vines. To make this style, Cazottes painstakingly dries and hand-pits greengage plums before fermentation, which yields an extraordinarily concentrated elixir.

CLAIRIN VAVAL RUM

Traditional clairin, perhaps Haiti’s most revered spirit, is rum for mezcal nerds. Made from freshly pressed heritage sugarcane varietals and fermented with no added yeasts, each distillation is a unique expression of terroir. This one, from second-generation producer Fritz Vaval, is sunny and herbaceous, each sip gracefully ping-ponging between delicate flowers and salty funk.