Kara Newman

For decades, the bloody mary pretty much had the tomato cocktail on lock. If you wanted something savory, spicy, vegetal – a bloody was your brunchtime go-to. Today, tomato-based drinks span well beyond the bloody – and beyond brunch, too. From legions of tomato water ’tinis to savory spins on negronis, margaritas, and beyond, expect to find drinks everywhere this summer paying homage to the beloved tomate. The key drivers behind the trend: rising affection for savory drinks (thanks, dirty martini), tighter connections between kitchen and bar, and an emphasis on seasonality. ‘If you think tomato drinks sound weird, just remember it’s a fruit.

Martinis remain one of the most popular cocktails of the moment – pristine and dry or filthy-dirty-hazy, vodka or gin, olive or twist, there’s one on every menu. But the iconic drink sure does pack a punch. In a moment where many – particularly younger consumers – are drinking less, even the classic martini is seeing some changes. Enter the “long” martini, which lengthens the basic martini build with soda water, tonic, etc., and serves it over ice. The end result: a less-strong, less austere version of the drink. “I don’t think the martini is going anywhere,” says Kevin Denton Rex, director of The Spirits Authority, a research organization that gathers data from bartenders. But the “long” martini drives “sessionability, that low-alcohol moment.