Lynn Ogryzlo

It's tomato season and my mouth was watering for a summer martini so I went out to Crown Bench Winery in Beamsville to stock up on fireballs.

Crown Bench Winery (www.crownbenchestates.com) is one of those wineries you love to visit because there's a new culinary discovery waiting for you each and every time. A few years ago, I found fireballs on the shelf. Fireballs are a tiny tomato the size of a cherry. Owner Livia Sipos picks them when they're green and tiny. She then transforms them into very, very hot, pickled tomatoes (that taste nothing like a tomato) that I skewer and use as a flavourful martini stir stick. The martini picks up some of the spiciness while the fireball absorbs some of the alcohol -- it's a beautiful combination.

Martinis are a fun way to entertain during the summer. I use Kittling Ridge Estate Wines and Spirits ( www.kittlingridge.com) Prince Igor Vodka in my martinis. I simply like that it's a local product. Prince Igor Extreme Vodka is good if you like ice in your martini's. At 45 per cent alcohol it's rather unlikely your martini will be diluted.

Summer martinis are fun, you can incorporate seasonal fruit and have a great time. Earlier this year, I made rhubarb syrup and used it in a delicious spring martini. Now that it's peach season I prefer to mix equal amounts of vodka, Crown Bench Hot Icewine and peach puree -- OK, maybe a bit more peach puree. Shake it up with crushed ice, garnish with a fireball and peach skewer and it's brilliantly delicious as an apres dinner drink or after dinner dessert. Peachy with a hint of spice in the aftertaste.

If you like your martinis on the creamy side, just add an ounce of light cream before shaking and you have a summer martini shake. Sip it slowly to savour every bit.

OK, maybe this crosses the line from martini to cocktail, but a martini is much more about form than matter, more about ceremony than content and more about looks, surroundings and good friends than accuracy.

So moving forward, to make your own version of a summer martini, you really only need five ingredients; gin, dry vermouth (or icewine), ice, summer fruit and a garnish (olives are imported -- fireballs are local). It tastes best when served from proper-stemmed martini glasses. If you're making them for a group of friends, it's almost impossible to carry full martinis on a tray without spilling them, so this is when you'll need a tall pitcher with a long-stemmed stirrer. Either way, you'll need a cocktail strainer and it's always fun to include some comical cocktail napkins.

I've always said orchard fruit makes the best martinis. Try mixing three parts Crown Bench Vanilla Icewine with one part Prince Igor Vodka and one part Calvados (apple liquor). Shake well with ice and pour over a thin apple slice on the bottom of a martini glass -- delicious!

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Lynn Ogryzlo is food and wine writer for Niagara this Week and Niagara Life Magazine.