I grew up in Tainan (a city in the south of Taiwan), and with Chinese New Year this week, it makes me miss all the unique flavors you can only find there 🍅 This is a Tomato Martini inspired by a popular spot called 莉莉水果店, which serves a unique tomato dish with a dipping sauce for fresh tomatoes. The sauce is a mix of soy paste, fresh ginger, sugar, and licorice powder.

I also wanted to incorporate “蜜餞” in this drink since it always reminds me of my mom taking us to 安平 to buy some. On our way back, we would each have a piece in our mouth— I seriously think it was a genius way for my mom to shut us up. Instead of just gin and tomato water, the savory notes I wanted it to come from the preserved plum infused gin. Then the rest should be pretty straightforward. An important step is to season your cocktail, I find adding 3 drops of rice vinegar made the word difference. No crazy garnishes, was going to explore the蜜餞 path but seriously change the palate too much. A preserved plum after you finish the drink!

Cheers to noisy family gatherings, sweet nostalgia, and the flavors that remind us where we come from.🧧🍸

Recipe
- The botanist gin 1.5oz
- The botanist gin infused with preserved plum 0.5oz (just 3 hours of infusion is sufficient to get all the flavors in)
- Tomato water 0.5oz (make sure to peel of the skin, it makes a difference in color, I used the smaller tomatoes and add 2% by weight in pectinex, let it sit till you see clear separation, then filter)
- Ginger 1 bar spoon (1:1 ginger and water)
- Dry Vermouth 0.25oz
- Seasoning (adjust to personal preference): Saline 3 drops, Soy sauce 2 drops, Rice Vinegar 3 drops
Last, dilution is key. Rimmed wit Licorice powder, I didn’t like the ‘muddy color look’ on the powder so I added the black currant powder which gives a pop up of color and the flavor works too, totally optional.