A raspberry-topped cake that covers an entire table. Fish-shaped barramundi en croute. Towers of whipped cream.
If a scene like this has crossed your Instagram feed, it may be the work of Sian Redgrave. The chef and food stylist is the queen of table setting.
Fresh off a trip to Italy, Redgrave has returned to Australia just in time for summer, and she has brought back a host of Mediterranean-inspired ideas. For those hosting this season, she suggests a simple starting place: the cocktail. Once that’s decided, you can build everything else around it.
“Aperitivo hour is obviously a really big thing in Italy, and having substantial snacks [to go with it],” Redgrave tells Broadsheet. “Now that it’s summer, I would gravitate to something cold and fizzy for drinking.”
She’s drawn to seasonal flavours like citrus, and suggests yuzu juice to brighten up your beverage game. For this summer spritz, she pairs the ingredient with Starward’s Two-Fold whisky – a lightly spiced Australian spirit with tropical notes – with ginger syrup, prosecco and a splash of soda.
“As summer approaches, this refreshing drink is the perfect way to elevate one of my favourite spirits and embrace the warmer weather,” she says.
When it comes to food, the seasons are her guide. She lets whatever is fresh at the market lead the way – often starting with seafood.
“Seafood is delicious, light and such an accessible thing in Australia, from tinned to fresh. You don’t necessarily have to run off and buy a million oysters, but they’re pretty delightful with a spritz.”
If you do opt for oysters, Redgrave suggests a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, or a simple tomato granita, made by freezing gazpacho and fluffing it with a fork every half-hour until slushy. Or, for something easier, you could reach for high-quality anchovies or even tinned vongole, served with focaccia or crostini and plenty of pickles.
For a vegetarian option, she loves stuffed zucchini flowers. “They’re a bit of a faff around but they’re probably the best thing ever to go with a drink.” If you can get your hands on lemon leaves, she recommends topping them with grilled mozzarella, which absorbs their flavour and aroma.
For dessert, Redgrave’s advice is to lean into seasonal stone fruits, but think outside the box for how you serve them. She likes pairing them with fresh cheese. To tie everything together with the spritz, you could even add a drizzle of ginger syrup.
Sian Redgrave’s whisky, ginger and yuzu spritz
Makes 1 serving. Approx. 1 standard drink.
Ingredients
1 tsp sweet ginger syrup
15ml yuzu juice
30ml Starward Two-Fold whisky
100ml prosecco
A splash of soda water
Lemon peel, to serve
Method
Add the ginger syrup and yuzu to a chilled highball or wine glass and mix with a spoon.
Add ice, whisky and prosecco.
Top with a splash of soda water and garnish with lemon peel.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Starward. Starward Two-Fold retails for $75 for a 700-millilitre bottle.
