In the spirit of Heirloom Tomato Week—and Friday—we figured we'd bring you a few of the city's best boozy, drinkable ways to take down that luscious red vegetable/fruit. Hail Mary.
Zuni is famous as much for this salsa-spiced drink as its Chicken for Two, and if you ask your server for the recipe, she'll happily print you one. (Phone numbers require a little more finesse.)
Lingba tosses out the celery stalk in favor of an applewood smoked bacon spear, then floats a couple of quail eggs on top for good measure. Whenever anyone asks us how we take our bacon and eggs, we tell them this way.
Served in a martini glass, this one features pepper-infused blanco tequila, tomato "water" made from a puree of rosemary- and sea salt-seasoned heirloom tomatoes and a splash of sherry vinegar gastrique. To call it a drink is to call a filet mignon a piece of meat.
A good sinus clearer, O's comes with wasabi powder and shochu infused with togarashi (the Japanese seven-flavor chili pepper). So prepare for a one-two punch, maybe even a one-two-three punch.
Leave it to a saloon opened in 1858 to serve up the most potent "salad bar" in town. Once the vodka has been poured in your pint glass, it's on you to craft your own Mary from a selection of tomato juices, hot sauces and spices. Easy on the Old Bay.
