Yellow Tomatoes Are The Secret To A Truly Radiant Bloody Mary

No brunch is complete without a couple of classic Bloody Marys. These savory, tomato-based cocktails, mixed with a little vodka, are always a tasty complement to a plate of pancakes or some eggs Benedict. The recipe for making a perfect Bloody Mary is very simple; all you need is tomato juice, vodka, horseradish, some seasonings, and perhaps hot sauce, plus a stalk of fresh celery. There's a lot of leeway within those parameters, however, and there are many ways to elevate a classic Bloody Mary using different spices, spirits, and garnishes. If you want to make a truly original spin on the drink, though, take your components a step further by swapping yellow tomatoes in for traditional red ones, adding eye-popping color and an unexpected flavor profile in the process.

Summer is a great time to try using yellow tomatoes in your Bloody Mary routine, because heirloom tomatoes will be readily available at the grocery store and farmers' markets. Plus, yellow tomato juice is a little sweeter, lighter in flavor, and less acidic than traditional red tomato juice — and this is perfect for making a refreshing summertime cocktail that fits in just as well at brunch as at a picnic or pool.

Yellow tomatoes, and the juice that comes from them, are naturally sweeter and less sour than red tomatoes, which is why varieties like Sungold are so easy to snack on. You can get that flavor in your cocktail glass, too, by making a batch of your very own yellow tomato juice. To create the base for your Bloody Marys, you have two options: cooked or uncooked juice.

Uncooked, or raw, tomato juice is easy to make in a juicer, food processor, or blender, and this will give you a fresher flavor. All you need to do is process fresh yellow tomatoes with some onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and seasonings. A good juicer will separate the pulp from the juice and, if you're using a blender or food processor, you can filter the juice using a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth. If you don't have any of these machines, then you can also grate your tomatoes and flavorings using a cheese grater, then strain the juice away from the pulp.

Use your fresh juice within a day or two for the best taste and color; the yellowness of the tomatoes can be fairly fragile and will start to look a little dull after a few days. Plus, the fine particles in the juice will separate and fall to the bottom of the drink over time.

Most Bloody Marys are made with store-bought tomato juice, which tends to be cooked. So, if you want a little more of that cooked flavor profile, make your yellow juice the same way. Simmer all your ingredients on the stove until they have a consistency of tomato soup, then let the mixture cool and strain it. Your cooked juice will be a little more shelf-stable, so you can store it for a few extra days in the refrigerator. The downside is that cooking yellow tomatoes will change their color and flavor somewhat; think of the difference between pico de gallo and shelf-stable, jarred salsa.

Once you have your juice extracted, give it a taste before you add any seasonings. Since yellow tomato juice has low acidity, some fresh lemon or lime juice will brighten up the flavor and give it a sense of balance. You could also add a little pickle juice or olive brine, which will punch up the acid while also adding some Bloody Mary-friendly flavors of garlic and dill. Once the base-juice is tasting drinkable, you can add seasonings from your favorite Bloody Mary recipe, plus some good-quality vodka, then garnish your glass of yellow sunshine with a fresh stalk of celery and top it off with a green wedge of lime.