Exclusive Cocktail Recipe: Maker's Mark Bourbon and Vanilla Tomato Water Cooler
Prep Time:
1 hour, 15 minutes
Cook Time:
10 minutes
Servings:
1 Cocktail
Ingredients
  • 1 pound vine-ripe tomatoes, heirloom preferred
  • Approximately ¾ cup light brown sugar (or more, depending on yield of tomato water)
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
  • 2 ounces Licor 43
  • ⅓ split vanilla bean pod
  • 1 cup reserved tomato puree from tomato water cordial
  • 1 cup coconut cream (not coconut milk or sweetened cream of coconut)
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • Juice from 1 lemon
  • ⅔ split vanilla bean pod
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 (750-ml) bottle Maker's Mark 46 bourbon
  • 1 ½ ounces tomato water cordial
  • 1 ½ ounces tomato caramel-washed Maker's 46 bourbon
  • 2 ounces fine quality fino sherry
Directions
  1. Start the tomato water cordial by coarsely chopping the tomatoes.
  2. Pulse tomatoes in a blender to a finer consistency, then pour into a fine sieve lined with paper towels that is resting over a bowl.
  3. After about an hour, the bowl will have collected about 10 to 12 ounces of tomato water. Reserve the pulp for later use in the caramel.
  4. Weigh out the tomato water and add 50% of the weight in light brown sugar (approximately ¾ cup) and a pinch of kosher salt.
  5. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
  6. Add Licor 43 to the cordial to add a dry herbal vanilla note and to preserve. You should have approximately 14 ounces of cordial in total.
  7. Place cordial in a clean glass container with ⅓ split vanilla bean pod. Keep refrigerated up to 1 week.
  8. To make the tomato caramel-washed Maker's 46 bourbon, combine 1 cup of the reserved tomato puree from the tomato water cordial, coconut cream, light brown sugar, lemon juice, ⅔ split vanilla bean pod, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a wide, heavy bottomed saucepan.
  9. Over medium heat, gently stir all ingredients, being careful not to allow scorching.
  10. Once the mixture comes to a boil and begins to thicken, stir frequently until liquid evaporates and the coconut cream and sugar caramelize.
  11. Allow caramel to cool. To check for doneness, drop a teaspoon full into a bowl of cold water . If the mixture forms a soft ball in the cold water but flattens when removed, it is ready.
  12. Remove the vanilla bean and discard.
  13. To wash the bourbon, start with ½ cup of tomato caramel and add to 750 milliliters of Maker's 46 in a glass container. Whisk until the caramel dissolves.
  14. Taste, and whisk in additional tomato caramel if desired.
  15. Fine strain the bourbon back into the bottle until ready to use.
  16. To assemble the cocktail, combine 1 ½ ounces tomato water cordial, 1 ½ ounces tomato caramel-washed Maker's 46, and 2 ounces fino sherry in a shaker over ice.
  17. Short shake, 3 to 5 times, in order to just combine and gently chill the ingredients.
  18. Strain into a wine glass and fill with crushed ice.
  19. Garnish with optional ingredients as desired.