10 Tasty Tomato Cocktails to Try at Home

December 11, 2022 by Anna-Bet Stemmet

Tomato cocktails can be an acquired taste, but we love it! Chockful of vitamins C, B, and potassium, the bright, bold taste of tomato juice combines perfectly with everything from vodka to tequila and even makes a tasty spritz. Here is a cherry-picked selection of ten of our favorite cocktails with tomato juice to try at home.

1. Bloody Mary

Bloody Mary Cocktail

As far as easy cocktails for beginners go, the Bloody Mary recipe will always remain a classic. Fair enough, the ingredients list is pretty long – it contains SKYY Vodka, tomato juice, horseradish, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, pickle juice, salt, pepper, and paprika (optional)—but most of these are actually pantry staples. Plus, the assembly isn’t too finicky. You simply shake it up with ice (twice if you’re feeling fancy) and strain it into a glass.

2. Michelada

The Michelada cocktail is similar in style to the Bloody Mary, with beer, lime juice, assorted sauces, spices, tomato juice, and chili peppers as its ingredients. However, while it plays in the same savory space as everyone’s favorite brunch cocktail, it also has a delightful bubbly profile thanks to the fizziness of the beer.

3. Tomato Tequila

Do you have a batch of fresh cherry tomatoes and the will to muddle? Then you’ve got to try the Tomato Tequila cocktail. To make it, you muddle 5 cherry tomatoes in a shaker, then shake it up with 5 basil leaves, 2 oz Espolòn Tequila, 1 oz lime juice, 0.75 oz agave nectar, 0.25 oz balsamic vinegar, and a pinch of Himalayan. Double-strain into a coupe glass and serve (with an optional salted rim).

4. Tomato Martini

We love experimenting with different types of Martinis, and this tomato cocktail recipe is one you’ve got to try if you’re feeling that 007 vibe. Muddle 2 oz of SKYY Vodka and 4 fresh basil leaves in a cocktail shaker. Add 2.5 oz tomato juice, a dash of salt, and enough ice to fill the shaker. Shake until chilled, and pour into a serving glass. We like to garnish it with a cherry tomato and mozzarella ball on a cocktail stick, but that’s entirely optional.

5. Tomato Spritz

How about an alcoholic drink with tomato juice with a bit of effervescence in the mix? The Tomato Spritz cocktail combines 0.25 oz Bulldog Gin, 2 oz Cinzano Bianco Vermouth, 1.5 oz tomato juice, and 0.25 oz cherry tomato shrub. Combine the ingredients in a glass with ice, then top it off with equal parts club soda and Prosecco. Read all about making a shrub here – it is most often done using fruit like berries, but using tomatoes is just as easy.

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6. Tomato Margarita

To show off the sweeter side of tomatoes, try the Tomato Margarita. Combine three cherry tomatoes in a cocktail shaker with a pinch of salt. Add 1.5 oz Espolòn Tequila, 0.5 oz Grand Marnier, 0.5 oz lime juice, and 0.5 oz simple syrup, fill the shaker with ice, and shake until well chilled. Double-strain into a glass with fresh ice, and garnish with a few cherry tomatoes on a skewer, if preferred.

7. Virgin Mary

Drinks made with tomato juice don’t always have to be boozy. If you’re keen on a savory mocktail, try the Virgin Mary. This lovely drink is the more virtuous counterpart of the original Bloody Mary, combining tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice with a few optional shakes of hot sauce and a dash of dill pickle juice for that little something extra.

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8. Oyster Shooter

While this is not technically a cocktail per se, it’s so good that we’ve gone ahead and snuck it in here just to give you a taste of the good life. Combine 1 oz of tomato juice, a touch of horseradish, and a pinch of pepper and pour into a shot glass. Add 1 oz of SKYY Vodka, shuck a fresh oyster in there, and garnish with a lemon wedge. Enjoy, and thank us later!

9. Farmer’s Cocktail

This tomato cocktail recipe is a somewhat savory spin on the popular Aperol Spritz cocktail formula. To make it, muddle three cubes of watermelon with 0.75 oz of simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Then add 0.25 oz Aperol, 2 oz SKYY Vodka, 1 oz tomato juice, and 0.75 oz lime juice, and shake until chilled. Double-strain into a highball glass, charge with 2 oz of club soda if desired, and garnish with some cherry tomatoes for an extra touch of whimsy.

10. Red Snapper

Let us introduce you to an alcoholic drink with tomato juice that closely resembles the Bloody Mary, but comes to the party with a far more herbaceous flavor profile thanks to the addition of gin! The Red Snapper is the essentially non-identical twin of the OG ‘Mary, which means all you need to do is switch out the SKYY Vodka for Bulldog Gin to try a fresh new take on the classic.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Tomatoes are sometimes fermented and used to make a type of wine. However, tomato juice also makes a great base for savory cocktails when paired with spirits like SKYY vodka or Espolòn tequila.

Tomato juice makes a great base for various delicious cocktails when combined with spirits like SKYY vodka or Espolòn tequila. There are a variety of amazing recipes to try if you want to explore the savory cocktail theme, including the Michelada, Red Snapper and Tomato Spritz.

The base of the classic Bloody Mary cocktail is a high-quality vodka, like SKYY vodka, which is then layered with tomato juice, horseradish, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, pickle juice, salt, pepper and paprika.

While tomato juice has not been proven to absorb alcohol that has already been ingested from the stomach, it does form the base of many popular cocktails like the Bloody Mary, Michelada and Red Snapper.