Pepe’s Italian & Liquor changes up its theme and interior decor with the seasons, and both the food and drinks evolve to match. Restaurant manager Tom Boury has designed the latest cocktail menu, drawing on a strong beverage knowledge and his experience as bar manager at Cookie. The drinks sit comfortably alongside Pepe’s traditional dishes and the latest interior switcheroo, which takes its cues from Italy’s sunny south. “What I tried to do with this one was to see what the people in Sicily drink,” he says. “So you’re going to have a prickly pear for example, you’re going to have melon, strawberry, and pistachios in Sicily are extremely big.”
Whether it’s an anchovy-spiked Martini or a simple classic, though, Boury is just trying to make sure everyone who passes through the doors at Pepe’s gets a little more than they bargained for. It’s why he’s passionate about elevating the humble gin and tonic to mixed drink perfection.
“People say to me, ‘Can I have a gin and tonic?’ I always say, ‘What gin? What tonic?’ It’s really cool for me, being able to be like, ‘Alright, let’s talk about it’. I’ve tried to create a scale from savoury to sweet and I’m like, ‘You want something floral, citrusy, fruity?’”
Boury’s recipe for the Rosalini is all about broadening the horizons of the gin and tonic. Partly inspired by coworkers wanting to avoid gin and tonic’s traditional bitterness, it’s on the fruitier side of the spectrum. “The Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz gin is, for me, a beautiful Australian gin, with a great balance of sweet fruit and botanicals,” says Boury.
Balancing the richer style of gin is the trick here, and Boury has gone for Fever-Tree’s raspberry tonic to make those flavours sing in harmony. “Three quarters of your drink, it’s the mixer – it’s the tonic – so I needed something that would go perfectly [with the gin],” says Boury. “I need something not too sweet, and the Fever-Tree Wild Raspberry Tonic Water, it’s not like sweet raspberry – it’s a sharper flavour. So now we get something well-balanced between the gin and the tonic.”
His Rosalini G&T is available at Pepe’s as part of Fever-Tree’s Perfect Serve, which sees the brand partner with top bars and restaurants to create refreshing new cocktails. The Perfect Serve initiative means this G&T is served with a 200-millilitre bottle of Fever-Tree Wild Raspberry Tonic Water on the side, so you can customise the strength of your drink. It’ll be available all summer long at Pepe’s, so you can pretend you’re holidaying in Tuscany as the warm weather hits.
If you can’t make it to the venue, the Rosalini is a cinch to make at home. He recommends going the extra mile and adding a couple of garnishes to bring out the G&T’s unique flavours. “An orange twist really brings life into the Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz, and some raspberries really also elevate the tonic flavour and make sure that everything is perfectly balanced.”
Recipe: Tom Boury’s Rosalini
Makes 1 serving (approx. 1.35 standard drinks)
Ingredients:
45ml Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin
200ml bottle of Fever-Tree Wild Raspberry Tonic Water
Raspberries and an orange twist to garnish
Method:
Add 45ml Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin and ice to a balloon glass, santé glass or wine glass. Top with Fever-Tree Wild Raspberry Tonic Water to your liking. Garnish with raspberries and orange twist.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Fever-Tree. The Perfect Serve is also 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.