Tomato martinis

Makes 4 proper ones

I loved the sound of this when I first read about it. But now I can't remember where I saw it and I've been through all my books and mags to try and trace its origins, and it's nowhere to be found. Tomato juice isn't the answer because it would just be like an intense bloody Mary. So I decided to make a clear tomato liquid, as I would for jellied tomato soup, and turn it into a martini. It's refined and sophisticated, and the excuse is that you're using up those innocent little cocktail or cherry tomatoes. This makes a perfect aperitif.

I loved the sound of this when I first read about it. But now I can't remember where I saw it and I've been through all my books and mags to try and trace its origins, and it's nowhere to be found. Tomato juice isn't the answer because it would just be like an intense bloody Mary. So I decided to make a clear tomato liquid, as I would for jellied tomato soup, and turn it into a martini. It's refined and sophisticated, and the excuse is that you're using up those innocent little cocktail or cherry tomatoes. This makes a perfect aperitif.

1kg very ripe red tomatoes, cherry or others
Vodka
Ice
Cherry tomatoes to garnish, preferably on the vine

Blend the tomatoes in a liquidiser. Pour the mix into a jelly bag and hang it over a bowl in a cool place or in the fridge. If you don't have a jelly bag, line a colander with a clean tea towel or a double layer of muslin and put that over the bowl. Leave overnight and you should end up with about 500ml of clear, intense tomato juice. Make less if you wish, depending on how many people you want to serve. You can discard the remainders in the colander/jelly bag.

For the martini, mix equal parts vodka (or as much as you wish) and clear tomato juice in a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice, give it a good shake and pour into martini glasses. Garnish with a cherry tomato (or a cocktail tomato), preferably with the stem on. You could even give that cherry tomato a vodka injection, if you've got the syringe and the stamina.