Few things complete a hot, late afternoon like an icy drink. Especially when paired with a mixer.

Josh Solano, senior venue manager at The Royal Hotel in Paddington, says the demand for especially icy drinks and frozen cocktails has risen in recent years – and it’s easy to see what started the craze. “It was all the frosé,” he says. “It may have only been frozen rosé, but it was an inescapable novelty – it sold really well.”

They key to the icy G&T is mixing gin and a good quality tonic water with a complementary, refreshing fruit flavour. Solano recommends a bitter orange aperitif, which is a natural accompaniment to gin.

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“Gin and bitter orange just works – the Negroni, which is a bitter gin cocktail, is especially popular now,” he says. “The bitterness brings out a lot of the botanicals in the gin.”

The sugar of the Cascade Tonic Water helps drop the alcohol content and is an essential ingredient (“100 per cent essential – otherwise it just wouldn’t work,” says Solano). Once you’ve gotten the basics right, you can experiment with different flavour profiles.

“I also love it with rhubarb bitters,” says Solano. “I like gin with something like that – sweet, aromatic. That rhubarb flavour through it would be perfect.”

Icy Gin & Tonic
Makes one serve. Approx. 1.2 standard drink

Ingredients
30ml gin
10ml bitter orange aperitif
60ml Cascade Tonic Water

Method
Mix gin and aperitif with a generous amount of ice. Top with tonic and stir.

Garnish: Davidson plum, dried rosella and lemon twist.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Coca-Cola South Pacific Pty Ltd. Visit refreshyourspirit.com.au for your chance to win a weekend getaway or $100 voucher at participating venues. Please drink responsibly.