Cherry Tomato
Small, sweet tomatoes occasionally muddled into savory cocktails or used as a garnish.
Origin
Central and South America, the wild ancestor of all cultivated tomatoes, domesticated by indigenous peoples before spreading globally after European contact.
History
Cherry tomatoes are close to the small, wild ancestral form tomatoes were originally domesticated from in the Americas, before larger varieties were bred over subsequent centuries. Tomatoes' move into cocktails is a modern, savory-drink development, following the same trend that brought bell pepper, basil, and cucumber behind the bar, usually muddled or skewered as a garnish in Bloody Mary-style and other vegetal, savory cocktails.
Flavor profile
Sweet and slightly acidic, with a concentrated tomato flavor more intense than a standard slicing tomato.
Tasting notes
Bursts with a bright, sweet-tart tomato flavor when muddled or bitten into, adding both a savory, umami-adjacent note and visual appeal as a skewered garnish.
Substitutes
- A small piece of regular tomato, for a similar flavor without the whole-fruit garnish presentation.
- Tomato juice, when a liquid form is needed instead of a muddled or garnish fruit.
- A different small, sweet garnish vegetable (like a small pickled pepper), if tomato specifically isn't available for a garnish role.
Common cocktails