Tomatini Cocktail
Move over dirty martini! The Tomatini Cocktail is the light, bright, and total celebration of the sweet, juicy, tangy tomato. With just a few simple ingredients this vibrant martini will be the star of any cocktail party or happy hour at home.

Bake up a batch of Savory Prosciutto and Cheese Rolls and get out the martini glasses. With minimal ingredients you will be creating this beautiful craft cocktail all tomato season long.
Why You’ll Love This Cocktail
- Accessible Ingredients – There are no complicated ingredients required for this martini. Aside from vodka you only need a couple extras which you probably already have.
- Easy Process – This is the perfect cocktail for a beginner mixologist. There’s just a little muddling involved and that’s it!
- Flavor – This is vodka forward in the best possible way of a chilled martini with just the right tangy and sweet accents.
Ingredients
The ladies of Sex and the City would totally skip the cosmos in favor of this Tomatini Cocktail. With minimal ingredients and an easy process you’ll be sipping on these all summer long!
- Tomato – You’ll want ripe, juicy tomatoes for this cocktail recipe. They’re that perfect balance of sweet and tart but also refreshing.
- Vodka – Use your favorite but pick a good quality vodka.
- White Balsamic Vinegar – This has a slightly cleaner flavor than dark balsamic and isn’t as syrupy. It also won’t change the pretty color of the finished cocktail.
- Black Pepper – Adds mild, earthy heat that instantly wakes up the taste buds.
- Honey – Rounds out the slight acidity of the tomato and white balsamic with its light sweetness. You just need a touch.
How to a Tomatini Cocktail
Get out your shaker and channel your inner Tom Cruise from Cocktail. Whether you’re looking for the perfect summer martini or way to celebrate the weekend, this is it.
Time needed: 9 minutes
Fresh tomato, tangy white balsamic, and the pop of pepper make this martini one to remember.
- Muddle
Add your tomato to a glass and use a muddler to break it down and draw out its juices.
- Flavor
Pour the crushed tomato into a cocktail shaker. Add the honey, white balsamic vinegar, and vodka along with ice.
- Shake Shake Shake
Put the top on the cocktail shake and shake it with authority. Make James Bond proud!
- Strain
Using a strainer, pour the tomatini into a chilled martini glass.
- Finishing Touch
Sprinkle black pepper over the top of the martini.
Variations
This cocktail recipe is perfect as is, but also fun to play around with. You can swap out some of the ingredients for a slightly different flavor profile while also adding others. Here are just a few ideas.
- Gin – Swap out the clean flavor of vodka for the herbaceous and botanical flavor of gin.
- Yellow Tomato – Swap the red tomato in this recipe for a sweeter and slightly less acidic yellow tomato. Heirloom tomatoes would also work.
- Lemon Juice – Give a tiny squeeze of lemon when shaking this cocktail for an extra pop of sunny flavor.
- Basil – Garnish your cocktail with basil, muddle in a leaf, or even add it to a simple syrup.
- Simple Syrup – Swap the honey in this recipe for a little drizzle of simple syrup.
Equipment
You will need a muddler and a cocktail shaker for this recipe. The muddler helps release the burst of bright juices from the tomato while the cocktail shaker will help bring the ingredients together while chilling the cocktail. You will also need a strainer. You only want the juice of the tomato, not the pulp or seeds.
Ideas to Garnish a Tomatini
- Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
- Olives
- Cocktail Onions
- Lemon Twist
Top Tip for a Tomatini Cocktail
Is there anything better than sipping on a cold cocktail? Here are a few ideas on how to chill your martini glasses.
- Fill a large bowl with water and ice. Submerge the martini glasses into the bowl and allow them to chill for 5-10 minutes.
- Wet a paper towel and squeeze out the excess moisture. Wrap it around the martini glass and place the glass in the freezer for 3-5 minutes.
- For a quick chill, add ice directly to your martini glasses. Swirl them around and then allow them to sit while you’re making the cocktails. Discard the ice before pouring the tomatini cocktails.
Tomatini Cocktail
Equipment
- 1 glass/muddler
- 1 Cocktail Shaker
- 1 strainer
Ingredients
- 1 ripe tomato, cut into chunks
- 2 oz vodka
- 1 oz white balsamic vinegar
- dash of honey
- black pepper
- cherry tomatoes for garnish
Instructions
- Add the tomato chunks to a glass. Use a muddler to break them down, releasing the juices.
- Pour the crushed tomato into a cocktail shaker.
- Add the honey, vodka, and balsamic vinegar.
- Shake until chilled and combined.
- Strain the mixture into a martini glass.
- Sprinkle a pinch of black pepper over the top.
- Salute!