Cocktails
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[Photographs: Autumn Giles]

Playing with a handful of ingredients that can walk the line between sweet and savory, this drink is a total crowd-pleaser. It starts with muddling juicy peaches and fresh basil, then adding a pour of London dry gin blended with beefsteak tomatoes.

To make your muddling easier, choose peaches that are quite ripe. The peaches are the only sweetener here and I found this drink to be plenty sweet, but you can add simple syrup to taste if desired.

Note: For straining the tomato and alcohol puree use a very fine mesh strainer or a less fine one lined with a double layer of cheesecloth. Regardless, the resulting infusion will have a some very fine tomato particles in it that will settle a bit. Just shake it up before using to redistribute them.

About the Author: Autumn Giles is a writer in Queens, NY. You can see her work on Autumn Makes & Does, listen to her talk on the Alphabet Soup Podcast, and talk at her on twitter.

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About This Recipe

Yield: makes 1 cocktail, makes enough tomato tequila for about 4 cocktails
Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Special equipment: blender, fine mesh sieve

Ingredients

  • For the Tomato Gin:
  • 16 ounces (about one large) beefsteak tomato, cut into large chunks
  • 1 cup dry gin, such as beefeater
  •  
  • For the Tomato Gin Cobbler:
  • 1/3 cup fresh diced peaches (about 1/2 a small peach)
  • 8 medium basil leaves
  • 3 ounces tomato gin
  • 1/4 ounce lemon juice, from 1 lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • Additional peach slices, for garnish
  • Additional basil leaves, for garnish

Procedures

  1. For the Tomato Gin: Combine the tomato and gin in a blender. Pulse a few times on medium to break up the tomato then blend for about 5 more seconds to form a pulpy puree. Strain the puree through a very fine mesh strainer or a less fine one lined with a double layer of cheesecloth. Stir it gently a few times as it strains, but do not press. Strain until it stops dripping on its own, about 15 minutes. Store in the fridge if not using immediately.

  2. For the Tomato Gin Cobbler: Muddle the peaches, basil leaves, and sugar in the bottom of a cocktail shaker until the peaches form a chunky puree. Fill the shaker with ice and add the tomato gin and lemon juice. Shake until well chilled, about 15 seconds. Strain into an ice filled old fashioned glass and garnish with plenty of additional basil and peach slices.