story and photo by Kelly Magyarics
Longoven’s take on the classic tiki tipple is an herbal and savory ode to summer gardens
The end of summer is arguably the best time of the entire year for fresh produce. And if most people were pressed to pick just one item from farm stands or gardens that prove that theory, it would probably be sweet, warm, plump and ripe cherry, beefsteak, and plum tomatoes just off the vine. But while you may be conjuring up just what to do with all the abundant fruit from your bumper crop—from using them in caprese salads to making fresh pasta sauce to slicing them for juicy burger toppers—one Virginia bartender is using the entire plant in a most unexpected way.
Danny McDermott is beverage director at Longoven, an ingredient-driven restaurant in Richmond, Virginia that’s overseen by hometown native chef Andrew Manning. Longoven’s cuisine is very reliant on the seasonal produce that’s available from local farmers, with fresh ingredients used on the ever-changing à la carte and six-to-eight course tasting menu featuring small plates and entrées.
Inspiration for McDermott’s cocktail creations also stems from the garden outside his backdoor as well as what shows up inside boxes that have been delivered to the restaurant from their purveyor partners. “From there I work to determine how those ingredients can best be showcased [and] what mixed drink formulation . . . is the best fit,” he says. “I grow a lot of tomatoes, and every year I try and see how I can use them in different ways without trying to repeat something I’ve done in the past.”
This year when brainstorming for additions to the summer drinks menu, he thought of an idea for a tomato-peach liqueur. He starts with an heirloom variety called Atomic Creek from Baker’s Creek that’s about the size of a standard Roma, but believes any ripe heirloom would work equally well. For every 750ml bottle of peach liqueur (he turns to Rothman & Winter but Massenez and Giffard are also high-quality worthy options) he adds about a dozen smashed tomatoes. He lets the mixture set and macerate for twenty-four hours before straining out the solids. “The resulting liqueur is not necessarily overly ‘tomato’ in nature, but the tomato qualities mesh with the peach liqueur and add more depth of flavor, [think] herbal [and] vegetal sweetness.”
He thought the liqueur would be perfect in a reverse-engineered version of the Mai Tai, specifically the classic version made popular by Trader Vic in the 1940s, subbed in for the usual orange liqueur or Curaçao. He also lightened up the r(h)ums used to coax out vegetal notes that would pair up with those of the tomato plant and replaced lime juice with malic and citric acids for a sharp unripe pineapple flavor. A coconut rhum float gives the drink the round nutty notes associated with the more traditional orgeat. “I think it’s a playful adaption of the original, using companion flavors from the summer garden,” he believes. “The tomato doesn’t necessarily scream; it adds a neat vegetal dryness to the peach liqueur.”
As for why he eschews citrus for the sharpness of citric and malic acids, that rationale again is related to being true to seasonality—and sustainability. Since citrus is generally a winter crop (especially more unique varietals like Meyer lemon, cara cara, and yuzu), McDermott reserves these fruits for winter drinks. In the fall and early winter to reaches for shrubs made by preserving end-of-summer harvests. But in the spring and summer he tends to rely on other ways of imparting citrus-like vinegars and acid tinctures, which tend to be more one-noted than citrus from fruit, he says. “Play around with different ratios to find different layered flavors—the options are pretty much endless.” They can also be used in conjunction with other citrus.
Anyone who’s ever gone out to the garden and plucked a basket of tomatoes can identify the unmistakable whiff of the leaves of the plant. A standard garnish for a Mai Tai is a sprig of mint; since McDermott uses the tomato in this drink it was only natural for him to use leaves to lend it a distinctive aromatic structure and pull out herbaceous notes from the liqueur and the r(h)ums, he says.
This creative libation proves that savory tomatoes don’t need to be confined behind the bar to just the Bloody Mary or the Michelada; right now McDermott is working on a tomato and tomato leaf kombucha, for example. “Think outside the box: Tomatoes have a lot more uses than just the juice.”
Tō-Mai-Tai
Recipe courtesy of Danny McDermott, Beverage Director, Longoven, Richmond, VA
¾ oz. Flor de Caña 4 Year Rum
¾ oz. Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum
½ oz. Rhum JM Blanc
¾ oz. heirloom tomato-infused Rothman & Winter Orchard Peach Liqueur (see Note)
¼ oz. simple syrup
¼ oz. citric acid (10% solution)
¼ oz. malic acid (10% solution)
½ oz. Clément Mahina Coco
Tomato leaves, for garnish
Add all ingredients except Clément Mahina Coco and garnish to a cocktail tin, add ice and quick shake to combine. Double-strain into a double rocks glass and add crushed ice to fill. Float the Clément Mahina Coco on top, garnish with smacked tomato leaves and serve with a sustainable non-plastic straw.
For the heirloom tomato-infused peach liqueur:
Add 12 smashed heirloom tomatoes to a 750ml bottle of peach liqueur (Rothman & Winter or similar). Let macerate for 24 hours, strain out solids and store the mixture in the refrigerator for up to several weeks.
