Tomatillo Bloody Mary
The tomatillo is a plant of the nightshade family, related to the cape gooseberry, bearing small, spherical and green or green-purple fruit of the same name. Tomatillos originated in Mexico, and are a staple of that country’s cuisine.
Yields 6 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound tomatillos, husked, trimmed, and quartered
- 1/2 pint (about 7 ounces) green or yellow grape or cherry tomatoes
- 2 Persian cucumber, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lime juice, plus more for mixing the cocktail and for garnish
- 1 serrano or Thai chile, halved and seeded (if desired), plus more for garnish
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 ounces vodka
- fresh cilantro leaves and stems
- 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish (not creamed)
- 3/4 teaspoon green hot sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire
- 1 Pinch of celery seeds
- ice
- For garnish: smoked sea salt, cooked shrimp, tortillas, scallions
Instructions
For the base: Combine the tomatillos, tomatoes, the 2 cucumbers, 2 garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons of the lime juice, 1 Serrano chile, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a blender and process until very smooth, at least 30 seconds.
For the cocktail: If you want a salted rim, take a lime wedge and run it around the edge of a tall glass and then dip the glass rim in the smoked salt.
To make one drink, place 2 cilantro sprigs in the bottom of a cocktail shaker and, using a wooden spoon or muddler, tap on the cilantro until it’s bruised. Combine 5 ounces of the Base with the vodka, the horseradish, hot sauce, Worcestershire, celery seeds, and juice from the lime wedge in a cocktail shaker. Add ice to fill halfway then stir with a bar spoon until the shaker is cold, about 10 stirs. Pour the drink and ice into a serving glass, garnish with any or all of the garnishes.