Sydney’s Martinez has a lot going for it in the summer – not least of which is a rooftop terrace bar built for sunny afternoons. And the French Riviera and Mediterranean theme of the downstairs restaurant carries through the bar’s breezy drinks selection. “Where we spend most of our time is with different spritzes,” bar leader Hamish McShane says. “We want things which are nice and light and easy to drink.”
Naturally, this extends to summer-ready mixed drinks; its take on the classic gin and tonic, made with Fever-Tree’s lemon tonic water, exemplifies this best.
McShane’s recipe, called the Tropical Gee, is a G&T at heart, but with Martinez-appropriate twists on the flavour profile, amping up the base gin with passionfruit syrup and Fever-Tree lemon tonic. “It’s our star of the gin and tonic interpretations,” he says. “It’s using Widges gin from one of our directors, Jason Williams. That’s a really great, versatile London dry-style gin with some really nice citrus flavours coming through.”
The passionfruit syrup swings things right back to Martinez’s breezy style, adding a subtle earthiness and gentle sweetness. The kicker is, naturally, the Fever-Tree lemon tonic. “It ties back into a bit of that French Riviera style, but it’s also to balance and lengthen the drink,” McShane says. “The acid element of the Fever-Tree lemon was a really good way to brighten up the drink, enhance that spring theme and still have it nice and refreshing all the way through.”
Martinez is part of Fever-Tree’s Perfect Serve program, which partners with top bars to ensure staff are slinging the absolute industry standard for G&Ts. That means the Tropical Gee is served with a 200-millilitre bottle of Fever-Tree lemon tonic on the side, so you can customise the strength of your drink to your liking.
“It’s a little bit of theatre when you present it to them,” McShane says. “Then they have the ability to top up as they go … a little stronger or a little softer, depending how much they add.”
If you’re making the Tropical Gee yourself rather than heading to Martinez, it all comes together in seconds. “We add the ingredients one by one,” says McShane. “You’ll have gin and the passionfruit sitting at the bottom. Before we add ice in, we’ll begin with a lemon wheel, then ice on top. Add another lemon wheel and then a really big mint sprig at the top before the tonic goes in.”
Martinez’s Tropical Gee
Makes 1 serving. Approx. 1 standard drink.
Ingredients:
30ml Widges London Dry Gin
15ml passionfruit syrup
Passionfruit half-shell
2 lemon wheels
Mint sprig to garnish
Fever-Tree Lemon tonic, to top
Method:
Build gin, passionfruit syrup and passionfruit half-shell in a tall glass. Add a lemon wheel, then top with ice. Add another lemon wheel and a sprig of mint. Top up with Fever-Tree Lemon Tonic.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Fever-Tree. The Perfect Serve is available at Henry G’s and Martinez in Sydney; The Farmer’s Wife in Allworth, NSW; and Beverly, Jackalope and Caffe e Cucina in Victoria. Order a drink from the Fever-Tree Perfect Serve menu and your tonic will be served on the side to create your perfect ratio.
