Tomato Vodka Bloody Mary Style

Every year we go camping on one of the May Bank Holiday weekends with a group of around 40 friends. It’s a great weekend of family camping, cooking in big pots on the camp fire, walks in the woods and a fancy dress evening on the Saturday night.

It’s become a tradition to bring a home-made flavoured vodka to the party. Each year the flavours get bolder and the ‘competition’ fiercer. We’ve had everything from chocolate orange to cola bottles, skittles to sherbet lemons, Murray mints to Mars bars, Revels to rhubarb and custard (and we’re not talking the sweets: roasted rhubarb vodka served with a shot of custard!). There’s only ever been one disaster and I urge you never to try it at home: bacon vodka!

My tomato vodka, served Bloody Mary style, went down a treat this year. It’s quick and easy to prepare, perfect for Sunday brunch with friends.

As it’s made from fresh ingredients, the vodka needs to be kept in the fridge and drunk within a week.

Ingredients

500g ripe pomodorino or cherry tomatoes (pick a small, ripe tomato which is going to have a good flavour)

a good pinch of celery salt

a few twists of ground black pepper

300ml vodka (it doesn’t have to be the finest but it does need to at least be drinkable!)

To serve

Worcestershire sauce

Tabasco sauce

1 stick of celery cut into batons

Method

  1. Quarter half of the tomatoes and place in a Tupperware container.
  2. Add the celery salt and black pepper then pour over the vodka.
  3. Seal the container and leave in the fridge for 3 days.
  4. Strain the vodka through a fine sieve or muslin to extract as much liquid as possible.
  5. Quarter the other half of the tomatoes and place in the Tupperware container.
  6. Return the vodka to the Tupperware container, seal and leave in the fridge for another 2 days.
  7. Strain the vodka again through a fine sieve or muslin to extract as much liquid as possible.
  8. Transfer to a bottle and store in the fridge until needed.

Shake the bottle before serving. Pour your guests a shot and serve with a dash of Worcestershire sauce, a drop of Tabasco and a baton of celery.