Tomato Kiss

• 3 to 4 “Sweet 100″ tomatoes, halved
• 10 to 12 cilantro leaves
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 slice haberñero chili (optional)
• 1 1/2 ounces silver tequila
• 1/4 ounce Cointreu
• 1/4 ounce fresh lime juice

In a mixing glass, muddle the tomatoes, cilantro, and salt into a paste. Top with ice and add the chili (if desired), tequila, Cointreu, and lime juice. Shake until cold and strain into a salt-rimmed cocktail glass. Alternately, strain through a fine-mesh sieve for a cleaner presentation.

We opted to include the haberñero in ours. Where’s the fun otherwise? I like spicy things, but am not a heat-freak. The chili featured prominently in this drink; a little too much, I think. This is likely not the fault of the recipe but of the fact that I doubled the ingredients in order to make two drinks, and therefore used two slices of chili where one would have sufficed.

That said, this cocktail was quite tasty. I ran a lime wedge along the rim of the glasses before salting and it added a nice sweet/tartness to the spiciness. I had planned to pair them with corn flour crepes with a chile de ãrbol sauce but dinner took longer than I expected so they ended up being pre-dinner drinks. This would make a great brunch cocktail, try making these instead of the traditional Bloody Mary.

Recipe from The Art of the Bar.