A float is a bartending technique that gets underused outside of a handful of classic cocktails — a thin layer of a distinct liquid poured gently on top so it sits rather than mixes in, changing the first impression of a drink without changing its actual composition. The Mediterranean Mary borrows the technique for a single teaspoon of good extra-virgin olive oil.
Because fat and water-based liquids don’t mix, the oil sits as a thin, distinct layer on the surface, and that layer is the first thing your nose registers before the first sip even happens. Olive oil carries its own aroma — grassy, slightly peppery, sometimes fruity depending on the oil — and floated rather than stirred in, that aroma reaches you before the tomato and citrus do, reframing the whole first impression of the drink.
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The basil, cherry tomato, and green olive garnish exist to keep pulling the drink back toward the same Mediterranean register the oil sets up — nothing here is decoration for its own sake.
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