When the temps start climbing and the group chat starts buzzing, there’s nothing better than kicking back with your besties and a good cocktail. Personally, I’m a Blue Hawaiian loyalist; give me coconut rum and a splash of island vibes any day of the week. Summer’s all about refreshing sips and fruity flavors, right?
Well, TikTok said, “Nope, we’re packing our bags and heading to Italy.”
This season’s surprise cocktail trend isn’t some sweet frozen daiquiri or color-changing bevvy. It’s the tomatini, and it’s giving farmer’s market chic. Equal parts quirky and elegant, this savory cocktail is low-key taking over your FYP, and honestly? I kind of get it.
What’s a tomatini?
Believe it or not, the tomatini isn’t some chaotic trend a TikTok bartender threw together last week. It actually dates back to 2010, when bartender Jimmy Barrat introduced the drink at Zuma Dubai. His goal? To capture the taste of a perfectly ripe summer tomato in cocktail form by turning your farmer’s market haul into a boujee sip. Now, more than a decade later, TikTok has rediscovered the recipe and is giving it the viral treatment it never knew it needed.
What’s in a tomatini?
The tomatini starts with tomato water, not juice, so put the V8 away. Tomato water is clearer, lighter, and way less pulpy. It’s made by straining blended tomatoes through a cheesecloth, which gives the drink a super clean flavor that’s unmistakably tomato. From there, it’s usually mixed with vodka, a splash of simple syrup, salt, pepper, and some white balsamic vinegar and garnished with a cherry tomato.
How do you make a tomatini?
Making a tomatini the Jimmy Barrat way feels like you’re crafting a drink and manifesting summer in one go. First, you grab a fresh tomato and give it a good smash in a cocktail shaker — like really let it know who’s boss. Then, toss in the rest of your ingredients, add ice, and shake like you’re trying to get over your ex. Once it’s chilled to perfection, you double-strain it into a cute glass to keep things smooth and classy. Finish it off with a dash of black pepper on top, maybe a cheeky garnish, and voila! You just made the chicest tomato drink on the internet.
Other tomatini recipes with a twist
Leave it to TikTok to take a boujee cocktail and turn it into a full-blown aesthetic moment. Creator Alessandra Pizzorni (@alessandrapizzz) shared her take back in March, and it’s giving Mediterranean goddess energy. Instead of sticking to the OG vodka formula, she leveled things up with gin, dry vermouth, sea salt, and even a drizzle of olive oil. Yes, olive oil in a cocktail, and somehow it works.
Others are giving the tomatini a gentler, slightly sweet upgrade. TikToker Maisie Powers (@maisie.powers) kept things simple but intentional by swapping out the usual simple syrup for honey, and it totally changes the game by adding a floral sweetness that balances out the acidity of the tomato without making the drink taste sugary.
If sweet or savory isn’t your vibe, don’t worry. Katie Rosenhouse over at TastingTable has entered the chat with a spicy twist that’ll wake up your taste buds in the best way. Her version brings the heat with chili flakes, hot sauce, and a splash of fresh lime juice. The spice adds just the right amount of chaos while the lime keeps things bright and refreshing. It’s bold, balanced, and definitely the one to try if you want your cocktail to add a little edge without going full Bloody Mary mode.