The Tomato Juice recipe
for your table
Quarter the tomatoes and remove the tough core around the stem end. Put them in a pan with a little water in the bottom and simmer over medium heat for ten minutes, until the flesh loosens. Cooking isn't required, but it extracts more juice from the fruit and makes the flavor rounder.
Blend the tomatoes briefly until smooth. If you want thick juice, stop here: the pulp remains and the juice becomes almost spreadable. If you want it thinner and more even, press it through a fine sieve, leaving the seeds and skins behind.
Season the juice with the salt, pepper and lemon juice. Salt brings out the tomato, pepper adds a little heat and the lemon juice keeps the whole thing from tasting flat. Taste as you go, because ripe summer tomatoes need much less salt than winter tomatoes.
Chill the juice in the refrigerator for at least two hours, then pour it into a chilled highball glass. If you like, rub a lemon wedge around the rim and dip it in fine salt to create a salted rim. A celery stalk goes in upright at the end, so you can stir with it.
What did you think of this recipe?
One click on a star is enough. If you want to add something, we'll read it first before it appears here.
Save this recipe
Send the Tomato Juice recipe to your own email so you have it to hand when you are ready to make it. You will also receive a € 5 discount code for purchases from € 50, for the glasses that go with it.
The story
Tomato juice belongs in the juice category but behaves like broth. It is not sweet but savoury, it is thick rather than clear, and it is served salted rather than plain. This is because the tomato is botanically a fruit but is used as a vegetable in the kitchen: it contains little fruit acid and plenty of glutamate, the substance that gives soup and broth their full flavour. Without salt, tomato juice therefore tastes watery and unfinished; with salt, it falls into place. In a Bloody Mary, the juice consequently takes centre stage, while the vodka provides only the sharpness.
The right glass
Tomato juice calls for a tall, straight glass that can fit ice, juice and a celery stalk side by side. Thirty-three to thirty-six centilitres is the most practical size for this: room for two or three ice cubes and still a finger's breadth of air above the juice. A straight wall keeps the thick juice level and makes it easy to apply a salted rim, as you can roll the rim flat in the salt. Tempered, thick glasses last the longest. Lower models for a small glass at drinks gatherings can be found among the tumbler glasses.
Arcoroc Islande Long Drink Glass 33 cl (6 pieces)
Duralex Picardie Long Drink Glass 36 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 34,90.
The right tools
For a tomato juice, besides the glass, use a glass rimmer for the salted rim and a fine strainer to keep out seeds and pulp. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 47,85.
Which splash belongs in a tomato juice?
Tomato juice itself is alcohol-free. The classic combination is with vodka, and is then called a Bloody Mary; with tequila, the same combination is called a Bloody Maria, and with gin, a Red Snapper. On each spirits page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it pairs with, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
More pulp makes a thicker juice, while finer straining makes it thinner. A splash of Worcestershire sauce and a few drops of Tabasco turn it into the savory, spicy version found in a Bloody Mary. Fresh horseradish or a pinch of celery salt changes the direction without making the juice spicier. Roasted tomatoes instead of boiled ones produce a darker and sweeter juice. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Serve tomato juice truly cold, because when lukewarm, the heavy pulp feels heavy on the tongue. Put the juice in the refrigerator for a few hours, and chill the glass too. A celery stalk in the glass is not just decoration: stir with it so that the settled juice is mixed back in.
Good to know
Why tomato juice is salted
Tomatoes have little fruit acidity and lots of savory flavor. Without salt, the juice therefore remains watery and incomplete; salt brings out the tomato. How much you need depends on the tomatoes: ripe summer tomatoes need less than winter tomatoes. Start with a teaspoon per kilo and taste.
To strain or not to strain
If you leave the ground pulp in the juice, you get a thick juice that slowly settles in the glass and needs stirring. If you push it through a fine sieve, the seeds and skins stay behind, making the juice thinner and more even. Some of the full flavor is lost, though, so do not strain it more finely than necessary.
Why it is served cold
Cold keeps the thick juice fresh and makes the salt and acidity sharper. Lukewarm tomato juice tastes heavy and sticky, and the smell of cooked tomato comes strongly to the fore. Two hours of chilling is the minimum; overnight is better.
The salted rim and the celery stalk
Rub the rim of the glass with a slice of lemon, then turn it flat through fine salt so the salt stays on the outside and none falls into the juice. Insert a celery stalk upright into the glass; it adds a little vegetal aroma with every sip and also serves as a stirrer.
How long homemade juice keeps
Store homemade tomato juice in a sealed bottle in the refrigerator and use it within two to three days. During that time, it separates into a thick bottom layer and a thinner top layer; this is normal and goes away when you shake it. If it smells sour or yeasty, throw it away.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make tomato juice from fresh tomatoes?
Cut one kilogram of ripe tomatoes into quarters, cook them gently for ten minutes with a little water, and blend until smooth. Leave the pulp in for thick juice, or push it through a fine sieve for thinner juice. Then season with a teaspoon of salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of lemon juice.
Why is there salt in tomato juice?
Tomatoes have little fruit acidity and lots of savory flavor compounds, so the juice remains flat without salt. Salt brings out the tomato flavor and rounds out the whole. How much is needed depends on how ripe the tomatoes are.
Which cocktail do you make with tomato juice?
The bloody mary: tomato juice with vodka, lemon, salt, and pepper, often with Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco as well. With tequila, the same combination is called a bloody maria, and with gin, a red snapper. Leave out the alcohol and it is called a virgin mary.
Which glass do you drink tomato juice from?
In a tall, straight long drink glass holding thirty-three to thirty-six centiliters. It has room for ice, juice, and a celery stalk side by side, and the straight rim is easy to twist through fine salt for a salted rim.
Also delicious
Everything for your bar,
to one address
Glasses in professional catering quality, supplied per set. Order today, delivered quickly.
Shop the glasses →