Maria sin Sangre

RECIPE: Reprinted with permission from The Craft Cocktail Party by Julie Reiner with Kaitlyn Goalen. Published by Grand Central Publishing Life & Style.

Photo: Daniel Krieger

April 23, 2015

Fresh, sweet tomatoes make all the difference in this savory tequila and sherry cocktail.

Forget canned tomato juice—here, fresh, sweet tomatoes make all the difference.

Ingredients

6 cherry tomatoes
6 basil leaves
1/2 oz. simple syrup (1:1)
2 oz. blanco tequila
1/2 oz. dry sherry
1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
Pinch salt and pepper

Tools:shaker, muddler, strainer, fine strainer
Glass:coupe
Garnish:1 cherry tomato and 1 basil leaf

Preparation

In a shaker, gently muddle the tomatoes, basil and simple syrup. Add the tequila, sherry, lemon juice, salt and pepper and shake with ice to chill. Fine-strain into a coupe. For the garnish, pierce a small hole in the top of the tomato and insert the stem of the basil leaf like a flag. Make a slit in the bottom of the tomato and perch the tomato on the rim of the glass.

TipTo make this drink in larger yields, pulse the tomatoes and basil in a food processor 5 or 6 times, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve or a piece of cheesecloth and discard the solids.