–By Katie Farthing
Spirited and unique, these cocktails come with oddly inventive garnishes that make them stand out at any party.
Tomato Water Martini
Sometimes less is more, and it certainly is in this case. Let tomatoes take over your taste buds in this terrific treat, thanks to The Vault at The Liberty Trust in Roanoke.
5 ounces chilled tomato water (see recipe below)
2 ounces vodka
1 cherry tomato
1 pitted Cerignola olive on a skewer
Keep the tomato water ice cold and do not dilute. Fill a chilled martini glass with the tomato water. Shake and strain vodka into a shot glass then pour into martini glass. Garnish with one olive and one cherry tomato on a cocktail pick.
Tomato water
4–6 large tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
Half or quarter tomatoes and add to a food processor. Sprinkle in salt, for flavor. Blend until finely chopped and slightly pulpy. Set up a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and line with a cheesecloth. Add the tomato mixture to the straining setup, and move to the fridge. Let sit overnight for up to a day. The tomato water will fill the bowl, and the pulp can be discarded when the straining process is done.
Bee’s Knees
This prohibition-era drink is sure to get you buzzing. Its cheerful yellow color hints at the mix of sweetness and tang to come. A dusting of bee pollen adds a delightful, on-theme touch.
2 ounces gin
1 ounce honey syrup
1 ounce lemon juice
Bee pollen powder
Add gin, honey syrup, and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass. Sprinkle bee pollen powder over top to garnish.
Lavender Honey Lemonade
This colorful cocktail, courtesy of Wild Rose Beverages, may just buy you a one-way ticket to loving lavender. At first blue, this drink turns purple with an easy addition of lemon juice—you won’t want to miss this magical mix.
Yield: 3 cups of lemonade
¾ cup lavender pea flower syrup (see recipe below)
¾ cup lemon juice
1 ½ cups water
Fresh lavender
Add all ingredients into a cup with ice and drop a sprig of dried or fresh lavender on top!
Lavender pea flower syrup
Yield: ¾ cup of syrup
½ cup water
½ cup honey
1 tablespoon lavender dried buds or ½ cup of fresh lavender
2 tablespoons dried butterfly pea flower
Combine ingredients in a pot and stir gently to combine. Let the liquid boil then reduce heat to a simmer for five minutes before removing from heat. Let the lavender and butterfly pea flowers steep for 30 minutes then fine strain the herbs out and bottle.
This is web-exclusive content from the December 2024 issue.
