Fresh Ingredients

Cherry Tomato

Cherry tomatoes are small, round tomatoes, the cerasiforme variety of the same plant as salad tomatoes. Ripe and at room temperature, three are muddled into our Tomatini, the vodka sour Jimmy Barrat created at La Petite Maison in Dubai in 2010, by Difford’s Guide’s account, with a fourth cut to sit on the rim. Keep them out of the fridge, where chilling dulls their aroma.

Quick Facts

Legal categoryFood

Flavour Strengthmedium

SeasonBritish season June to October; greenhouse year-round

Our keeping timeSeveral days at room temperature once ripe.

Storage

Room temperature, out of direct sun. Chilling under about 12°C dulls the aroma, and warming the fruit again brings back only part of it.

Allergens

None of the 14 listed allergens.

The ingredient

About Cherry Tomato

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

TomatoUmamiSweet-Sharp

Tasting Notes

Concentrated tomato sweetness with real acidity and the savoury depth the fruit hides in plain sight: summer in miniature.

A small tomato, picked for flavour

Cherry tomatoes are a variety of the ordinary tomato plant, Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme, small and round. In a drink their size helps: three fit the base of a shaker, burst under a muddler and give juice, pulp and the savoury depth that ripe tomatoes carry.

Ripeness decides the drink. A ripe one tastes sweet and sharp at once; an underripe or chilled one gives mostly water and acid.

Chilling takes the flavour away

A 2016 study in PNAS found that the genes behind tomato aroma switch off below 12°C and that many stay silent after warming, as Nature Index summarises it, and its panel of 76 tasters found chilled fruit bland. In our bar, cherry tomatoes stay out of the fridge and out of direct sun, and are used within a few days of ripening.

Fresh fruit and carton juice make different drinks

Tomato forms for drinks

Cherry tomatoes

Preparation: Muddled whole, fine strained
Added salt: None
Texture: Light and smooth once strained
Where it fits: The Tomatini: three, plus one on the rim

Large salad tomatoes

Preparation: Chopped, then muddled or liquidised
Added salt: None
Texture: Wetter; needs more straining
Where it fits: A swap when cherry tomatoes are poor

Carton tomato juice

Preparation: Poured
Added salt: About 0.4 to 0.6g per 100ml
Texture: Thick
Where it fits: Long, spiced drinks over ice

Form	Preparation	Added salt	Texture	Where it fits
Cherry tomatoes	Muddled whole, fine strained	None	Light and smooth once strained	The Tomatini: three, plus one on the rim
Large salad tomatoes	Chopped, then muddled or liquidised	None	Wetter; needs more straining	A swap when cherry tomatoes are poor
Carton tomato juice	Poured	About 0.4 to 0.6g per 100ml	Thick	Long, spiced drinks over ice

Carton tomato juice is pasteurised and salted and suits a long drink; muddled fruit gives a short drink that tastes of fresh tomato.

Muddle hard, strain fine

For the Tomatini, muddle three tomatoes in the base of the shaker until they are almost liquid, then add the spirit, citrus, syrup, vinegar and saline, shake hard with ice for 10 to 12 seconds and fine strain into a chilled coupe. A fine mesh strainer stops the skins and seeds, so the drink comes out smooth.

Barrat created the drink when La Petite Maison opened in Dubai in 2010, Difford’s Guide says, and reached the World Class final in 2012. For the garnish, cut a slit in a fourth tomato so it sits on the rim of the glass.

Using it

Using Cherry Tomato

Usage

Three, ripe and at room temperature, muddled in the base of the shaker until almost liquid before the other Tomatini ingredients go in; a fourth, cut, sits on the rim of the coupe. Taste one first: if it is watery or sour, the drink will be too.

Pro Tip

Halve the tomatoes before muddling. The muddler bursts them at the first press instead of chasing whole fruit round the bottom of the tin.

Top Tips

Store them at room temperature. Chilling dulls the aroma, and warming them again brings back only part of it.
Muddle until nearly liquid; the fine strainer catches skins and seeds.
Try one first: ripeness varies from punnet to punnet.
Cut a slit in the garnish tomato so it sits astride the rim.

Possible Substitutions

Tomato Juice: not for a Tomatini: thicker, salted, and a different drink

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is a Tomatini?

A short, shaken drink of fresh cherry tomatoes and vodka, soured with lemon and seasoned like a salad. It was devised by Jimmy Barrat for La Petite Maison in Dubai in 2010, by Difford’s Guide’s account. Ours adds simple syrup, a little white balsamic and saline, and finishes with fine-ground pepper on a chilled coupe.

How many cherry tomatoes go in a Tomatini?

Three, muddled until almost liquid, plus a fourth cut to sit on the rim. They go into the shaker first; everything else follows, then the ice. Ripe, room-temperature fruit matters more than the count: three underripe tomatoes give a thin, sour drink.

Should tomatoes be kept in the fridge?

Not if you want flavour. A 2016 study in PNAS found that the genes behind tomato aroma switch off below 12°C and that many stay silent after warming, as Nature Index summarises it, so chilled tomatoes taste bland. Store them at room temperature and use them ripe.

Can I use ordinary tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes?

Yes, if they are ripe and full of flavour. Chop them first so the muddler can break them down, use about the same volume as three cherry tomatoes, and fine strain as usual. Large salad tomatoes are often wetter, so taste and add a touch more syrup or vinegar if the drink is thin.

Why do you fine strain a Tomatini?

Muddled tomato leaves skin, seeds and pulp in the shaker. Pouring through a fine sieve as well as the shaker's strainer catches them, so the drink pours smooth into the coupe. Without it, flecks of skin float on the surface and seeds settle in the coupe.

Can I make a Tomatini with tomato juice?

Not the same drink. The Tomatini depends on fresh fruit: muddled cherry tomatoes give a lighter, fresher drink than carton juice, which is thicker and already salted. Carton juice belongs in long, spiced drinks; for a Tomatini, buy ripe tomatoes, and wait if they are out of season.

How do you garnish a Tomatini?

With a cherry tomato cut to sit on the rim and pepper milled over the surface. Cut a slit from the base about halfway up so the tomato sits astride the glass. Grind the pepper once the drink is in the coupe, so it rests on top and the scent arrives first.

Sources.

Correct as of 18 October 2026.

Difford’s Guide, “Jimmy Barrat Interview: Tomatini Origin Story” (secondary source: La Petite Maison opened in Dubai in 2010; World Class final 2012).
Nature Index, on PNAS 113, 12580 (2016), “Chilling-induced tomato flavor loss is associated with altered volatile synthesis and transient changes in DNA methylation (research highlight)” (genes for aroma volatiles switch off below 12°C; many remain silent after warming; 76 tasters).

Make something

Made with Cherry Tomato

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Tomatini

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Updated 18 October 2026

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