Equipment
Ingredients
Clarified Tomato Water
- 500 g ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 5 g kosher salt
Bloody Mary Infusion
- 60 ml london dry gin
- 15 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed and strained
- 5 ml hot pepper sauce
- 5 ml vegan worcestershire sauce
- 2 g celery salt
The Celery
- 200 g celery stalks, washed and leaves removed
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 15 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbohydrates
- 1 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 116 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Potassium
- 90 mg
- Calcium
- 9 mg
- Iron
- 0.1 mg
- Magnesium
- 4 mg
- Phosphorus
- 9 mg
- Zinc
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin A
- 2 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 4 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 3 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.01 mg
- Niacin
- 0.0 mg
- Folate
- 4 mcg
- Water
- 13 g
- Alcohol
- 1 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Combine the roughly chopped tomatoes and kosher salt in a blender. Pulse until thoroughly pureed but not overly aerated.
Line a fine mesh strainer with multiple layers of cheesecloth over a deep bowl. Pour the tomato puree into the cheesecloth and place in the refrigerator to drip overnight. Do not press the solids, or the liquid will become cloudy.
Using a vegetable peeler, lightly peel the convex outer curve of the celery stalks to remove the tough, fibrous strings. Cut into neat batons approximately 10 centimeters in length.
In a mixing vessel, combine 200ml of the clarified tomato water with the gin, strained lemon juice, hot pepper sauce, vegan worcestershire sauce, and celery salt. Stir gently until the salt is completely dissolved.
Place the celery batons into a vacuum sealer bag in a single flat layer. Pour the Bloody Mary infusion liquid over them. Vacuum seal the bag on the highest setting. The vacuum will pull the air out of the celery's porous cells, and as the pressure equalizes, the liquid will violently rush in to replace it.
Transfer the sealed bag to the refrigerator and allow the celery to rest and marinate for at least 2 hours to ensure the flavor fully penetrates the structure.
Open the bag, remove the infused celery batons, and drain off excess liquid. Serve chilled as a striking cocktail garnish, a standalone amuse-bouche, or alongside raw oysters.
Chef's Notes
- Vacuum compression is a modernist technique that relies on manipulating atmospheric pressure. It removes trapped air from the porous cellular walls of plants and instantly replaces it with surrounding liquid, rendering the vegetable translucent and intensely flavored.
- Clarifying the tomato water is crucial for this recipe. Using standard tomato juice would coat the celery in a muddy, red film, destroying the clean, jewel-like visual appeal of a compressed vegetable.
- Peeling the celery is not just for texture; removing the tough outer cuticle allows the alcohol and tomato water to penetrate much more efficiently from all sides.
- The leftover infused liquid from the vacuum bag makes an incredible base for a very potent, crystal-clear Bloody Mary martini.
Storage
Refrigerator: 5 days — Keep submerged in the infusion liquid for maximum flavor retention.
Troubleshooting
Tomato water is pink or cloudy instead of clear and golden.
Cause: The tomato pulp was pressed or squeezed through the cheesecloth, forcing solid particulates into the liquid.
Fix: Pass the cloudy water through a paper coffee filter to remove the fine suspended solids before mixing with the gin.
Prevention: Allow the tomato puree to drip naturally under its own weight without applying any pressure to the cheesecloth.
Celery remains opaque white and lacks internal flavor.
Cause: The vacuum pressure was not strong enough to properly compress the cellular structure of the celery.
Fix: Leave the celery to soak in the liquid for an additional 24 hours to allow osmosis to slowly infuse the vegetable.
Prevention: Ensure your vacuum sealer is set to its highest pressure setting, or use a commercial chamber sealer.
Cultural Context
The Bloody Mary was purportedly invented in the 1920s at Harry's New York Bar in Paris. The iconic celery stick garnish, however, was introduced decades later in the 1960s at the Pump Room in Chicago when a customer improvised a stirrer using a stalk from the relish tray. This recipe playfully deconstructs that history by putting the entire cocktail inside the garnish itself.
