I’m a fan of a good martini on a Friday night after a long week at work, so decided to experiment with the tomolives that I have in the fridge and make a Tomolive Martini. But first things first - you might be asking “what’s a tomolive?” Tomolives are a lovely way to repurpose green grape tomatoes at the end of the season and give them a shelf life into December (if you can resist eating them all before that). I had a bumper crop of green tomatoes at the end of the season (in fact, I still have quite a few on one tomato bush that just refuses to give in to the cooler weather, so will probably be harvesting them this weekend). Here’s my favorite recipe for Tomolives, from Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s Kitchen.
However, if you don’t have green tomatoes left in your garden or just don’t want to bother, you can also buy tomolives from Amazon and from World Market (and I’m sure from other places that sell specialty pickles as well). Tomolives taste like, well, like a cross between a tomato and an olive. In addition to making a great garnish for a martini, they would work well garnishing a Bloody Mary, as well as are a tasty accompaniment for hard-boiled eggs or as a substitute for olives on a cheese plate. Plus, they look a bit like a science experiment, so make a good prop for a Halloween-themed cocktail photo shoot!
Tomolive Martini
Serves 1
2 ounces vodka
1 ounce vermouth
1/2 tomolive brine
3 tomolives to garnish
Combine the vodka, vermouth and brine in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and then strain into a martini glass. Garnish with tomolives. Enjoy!
