In a nod to summer's waning days, pickled green cherry tomatoes garnish a vodka
martini, which must, of course, be imbibed in the garden.
There’s a wonderful story about Winston Churchill and his martinis.
During World War II, when no French vermouth could be found, Churchill would make martinis with a “{respectful] bow in the direction of France.” According to Pete Wells (“The Gin Crowd,” Food & Wine, August, 1999), Churchill’s gin of choice was Plymouth, an English gin created in 1791, which made “fanastic” martinis. Wells writes: “All the same ingredients--cardamom, coriander, citrus peel, bitter almonds and, of course, juniper--are thrown into the Plymouth stills, but thrown in so carefully that no single flavor dominates. The result is an unusually well-balanced and intensely aromatic drink.”
Somehow this story has been subverted in the retelling. In latter day versions, Churchill merely bowed in the direction of a bottle of vermouth—he may have preferred his martinis very, very dry.
Anyway, this is not Churchill’s martini. In a salute to the waning days of summer, it's garnished with pickled green cherry tomatoes from the garden. It’s made with vodka, not gin, and has a touch of vermouth mixed in. It’s not James Bond’s martini either: It’s both shaken and stirred. I can hear the purists squawking.
At the moment, the vodka in my martini is Tito’s Handmade Vodka, from Austin, Texas and winner of the 2001 Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirit Competitions. If you’re wobbly about your own tastes, Raymond Sokolov’s recommendations from an August 29, 2003 article in The Wall Street Journal--Grey Goose, Olifant and Jewel of Russia—are a reasonable jumping off point.
Whatever your poison, pickled green cherry tomatoes are a delectable if non-U addition to the martini. If you have a late crop on your own vines, they won’t ripen before frost. Pick them all and spend a pleasant hour or so making Dan Field’s recipe for these addictive little flavor bombs. (Dan was the late father of New York pickle maven, Rick Field, who is probably elbow deep in exotic brines and spices at this very moment. One of Rick’s Picks’ latest, Smokra, is flavored with smoked Spanish paprika.) But it’s OK to cheat and buy your pickled green tomatoes too. You can get Tomolives from Bryant Preserving Company.
Enough talk. Here’s the recipe:
Vodka Martini with Pickled Green Cherry Tomatoes
To make one martini
Ingredients:
2 ounces vodka
Small capful vermouth (cap measuring about 1/2-inch), or to taste
Ice cubes
2 or 3 pickled green cherry tomatoes on a toothpick, for garnish
Few drops pickled cherry tomato brine (optional)
Method:
1. Pour vodka and vermouth into a cocktail shaker. Add ice cubes and stir well. Shake vigorously for one minute.
2. Pour the martini into a glass. Garnish with pickled green cherry tomatoes. Add a few drops of the brine, if desired.
3. Serve at once, bowing in the direction of the garden.