Mitch Orr’s Salty, Umami-Laden Snack Pairing for Four Pillars’ Olive Leaf Gin Martini

There are two ways to approach pairing a Martini with food, and Mitch Orr – chef at woodfired Sydney restaurant Kiln – says you can subscribe to both. The first is more traditional. “If you’re pairing food with a drink, the aim should always be to create a harmony between the two that makes them greater together,” he says. “Whether that’s because they complement each other so well or because the contrast livens everything up.”

The second approach is less prescriptive. “Honestly, you don’t need an excuse to drink a Martini – it goes with everything,” says Orr. “My motto is always eat what you want to eat and drink what you want to drink. Who cares if they’re supposed to pair if you love it?”

If you fall more in the intentional-pairing camp, there’s good news: Orr has designed a salty, umami-laden snack to serve at Kiln that is specially tailored to the Martini recipe below, and an ideal delicacy to indulge in during the Four Pillars Martini Collective, which is taking place across Sydney this May. While you could match the dish with a generic Martini, Four Pillars recipe is built around the finer points of its Olive Leaf Gin. “Lemon myrtle brings those citrusy floral notes,” says Orr. “Distilling with layers of extra-virgin olive oil and the olive leaf adds savoury and umami [flavours], rounded out with the earthy nuttiness of macadamia.”

The snack in question is a fried oyster with kombu butter that both complements and contrasts with the Olive Leaf Martini. “The elements that come into play are those subtle botanicals of the olive leaf and lemon, as well as the umami and almost oceanic savouriness of the gin,” says Orr. “The Martini is so crisp and clean that it will cut through the richness of the fried oyster and kombu butter, lifting and lightening. At the same time, in my mind, the oyster dirties up the Martini a little.”

If you want to check out how the fried oyster and Martini match works yourself, you’ll find both at Kiln during the month of May. The bar is open late every night and DJs are on hand from 8pm on Friday and Saturday nights – so it’s a good spot to turn your snack tasting into a night out. Alongside Kiln, a bunch of Sydney’s best bars and restaurants– including Alberto’s, Icebergs, Bistecca, The Gidley, Rekodo, Saint Peter and the Four Pillars Laboratory – will be serving up a Four Pillars Olive Leaf Gin Martini with their own hand-picked snacks.

However, if you’re making and matching the Four Pillars Olive Leaf Gin Mini Martini at home, Orr has one last piece of advice: “A Martini absolutely has to be ice cold.”

Recipe: Four Pillars Olive Leaf Gin Mini Martini
Makes 1 serving. Approx. 1.66 standard drinks.

Ingredients:
45ml Four Pillars Olive Leaf Gin
7.5ml Oscar.697 Vermouth Extra Dry

Handful of ice
Sicilian olive for garnish

Method:
Pour gin and vermouth over ice and stir. Strain into a frozen martini glass and garnish with the Sicilian olive.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Four Pillars. The Four Pillars Olive Leaf Gin Mini Martini is available now at some of Sydney's best venues, paired with a series of hand-picked snacking dishes. At Alberto’s drink your Mini Martini with a side of Deep Fried Gordal Olive stuffed with fig paste, while over at Iceberg’s snack on 24 month aged Red Cow Parmigiano Reggiano, with Aged Modena Balsamic as you sip overlooking the sea. Other participating venues include the Four Pillars Laboratory in Surry Hills, The Charles, Shell House Dining, Aalia, Bistecca, The Gidley, Rekodo and Saint Peter.