Vegetable cocktails are having a moment
Wild carrot margarita? Mung bean old-fashioned? 'Allotment-inspired' tipples are appearing on drinks menus

"Savoury sippers are in, with vegetables filling cocktail glasses across the capital and beyond," said Charlotte Lytton in The Times. "Allotment-inspired cocktails", ranging from wild carrot margaritas to mung bean old-fashioneds, have cropped up, showcasing locally sourced produce while inventing drinks that are "glamorous and tasty".
The current trend can be traced back to 2010, when bartender Jimmy Barrat created the "Tomatini" at La Petite Maison's Dubai outpost. Missing his hometown in the south of France, he came up with a novel tipple: a heady mix of fresh tomatoes, Ketel One vodka and white balsamic vinegar. The cocktail is smooth and "surprisingly light" with the tomato very much taking "centre stage". "Drinking your veg, it transpires, can be delicious after all."
But "people have been drinking their vegetables since the 1920s", when Fernand "Pete" Petiot is said to have created the Bloody Mary by combining tomato juice, vodka, spices and lemon juice at a New York bar, said Rosanna Dodds in the Financial Times.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Today, mixologists are becoming more "adventurous" and using ingredients that may otherwise have ended up in the rubbish. The Gleneagles hotel in Scotland, for example, uses "discarded cucumber ends, aubergine skins and avocado stones" to craft elegant cocktails, while the Michelin-starred restaurant Apricity in London transforms "upcycled Brussels sprouts" into martinis.
"Besides, who said a vegetable has to be savoury?" Naturally sweet vegetables like carrots, beetroots and parsnips can make a delicious alternative to fruit-based cocktails. An added benefit is the chance for mixologists to incorporate "superfoods" into their recipes; Yannick Alleno's restaurant Pavyllon in London makes a "Boulevard of Desire" cocktail with mushroom white port and a garnish of antioxidant-packed enoki mushrooms.
I tried making a "pickletini" based on a recipe by Dima's Vodka at home, said Stuart Heritage in The Guardian. While there's a "lovely simplicity" to the "classic James Bond-style martini", this one also includes pickle juice, which means that "inevitably, the whole drink tastes like gherkins". "There is a reason that 007 never sidled up to a bar and growled: 'Martini. Shaken not stirred. And can you make it taste like the worst bit of a Big Mac, please?'"
In the journey towards more savoury drinks, said Tony Turnbull in The Times, could "cheese-based cocktails" be next? It may sound "fanciful", but Firebird restaurant in Soho has already crafted the horiatiki martini with feta and oregano-infused gin, cucumber bitters and red pepper vermouth. "Greek salad in a glass, anyone?"
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Irenie Forshaw is a features writer at The Week, covering arts, culture and travel. She began her career in journalism at Leeds University, where she wrote for the student newspaper, The Gryphon, before working at The Guardian and The New Statesman Group. Irenie then became a senior writer at Elite Traveler, where she oversaw The Experts column.
-
July 6 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include paying for school lunch by enlisting, and the banality of evil
-
5 biting editorial cartoons about 'Alligator Alcatraz'
Cartoons Artists take on dangerous green things, historical precedent, and more
-
A journey into the deep past on beautiful Arran
The Week Recommends New Unesco Global Geopark played a 'key role' in the birth of modern geological science
-
5 dreamy books to dive into this July
The Week Recommends A 'politically charged' collection of essays, historical fiction goes sci-fi and more
-
Rustle up some fun at these Western hotels and dude ranches
The Week Recommends Six properties that are ready to rope you in
-
The best film reboots of all time
The Week Recommends Creativity and imagination are often required to breathe fresh life into old material
-
Feel the groove with these music-centric getaways across the globe
Let the rhythm move you
-
5 high-concept animated science fiction shows for grown-ups
The Week Recommends How filmmakers are using a different medium to bring visionary science fiction to life
-
See the bright lights from these 7 big-city hotels
The Week Recommends Immerse yourself in culture, history and nightlife
-
8 recipes that require minimal effort for the best kind of summer eating
The Week Recommends It's the season of grilling and smart desserts
-
7 places across the country to experience the best of summer drinking
The Week Recommends Stops include a Basque-inspired spot and a bar where the menu overhauls twice a year