Caprese is a lovely summer salad of tomato, basil and mozzarella. Now Two Fourteen, a restaurant/lounge in Media Borough, has re-imagined a caprese as a cocktail, writes Jenn Ladd for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Two Fourteen has only been open for 18 months but beverage director Jeremy Winkler has created at least 40 new cocktails, with new fresh options each season.

The Caprese cocktail was a challenge as Winkler tried to match the drink with chef-owner Michael Hackett’s summer menu offerings of a light salad flavor.

After 11 or 12 tries he successfully created Two Fourteen’s You Drivin’ Me Caprese, a $17 savory cocktail.

It’s dry, balanced, and refreshing even with 2 ounces of Bacardi and a half-ounce of garlic-infused rum.   

It starts with a batch of tomato water, or tomato juice from heirloom, cherry, and grape tomatoes strained twice.  Add to that sugar, salt, fresh basil, roasted garlic, oregano, and black pepper. 

 “It almost smells like grandma’s Sunday gravy in here for a day,” Winkler said.  

More roasted garlic goes into Faber rum which sits for 10 days.

Other ingredients?  Lime juice, simple syrup, Bacardi white rum, a few leaves of fresh basil, and a splash of marinated fresh mozzarella ball oil.

Read more about this unique caprese cocktail in The Philadelphia Inquirer.