Back in August, our restaurant manager and all-things-alco-enthusiast Matt Varona was invited to Bombay Sapphire’s ‘Gin and Tonic Artistry Event’ at the Taverstock Mill. The event threw together six of the country’s best bartenders, countless bottles of gin, a few gallons of tonic and one simple aim: to put a twist on the country’s favourite tipple.

In keeping with Carousel’s seasonal approach, Matt’s take on the G&T was born out of fond memories of sunny days on his Nan’s patio…

For me a gin and tonic evokes memories of warm long summers spent with my family in Spain. It is where, as a young boy, I winced at my first taste, declaring it wasn’t for me… oh, how wrong I was.

The idea for this drink came from my Nan’s patio. My Nan had a modest house in a village in the middle of nowhere in Spain, where both she and my father grew up. Every single summer we’d go back to this house and spend hours lounging around the patio that was engulfed in the potent sweet, green aroma of an enormous fig tree. As I got older, and my taste for gin and tonics grew, I would wile away hazy days under that tree, happily sipping on a G&T.

Fig leaves are at their best in late summer, oozing with incredible fragrance. I wanted this flavour to dominate so I kept the rest of the ingredients as subtle as possible. Enter the humble bay leaf. Bay never plays first fiddle in the kitchen, and certainly not in the bar. Instead it lends soft backing music whilst allowing the lead to shine.

Part three involves another ingredient that I now LOVE but one that took it’s time to grow on me over the years: Vichy Catalan. This is a sparkling mineral water from a spa north east of Barcelona that is drawn from the earth at 60 degrees Celsius. It is soft and high in sodium and is said to be immensely invigorating. Flavour-wise, it’s perfect for balancing the grassiness of the fig leaf, the floral bitterness of the bay and the dryness of the Bombay. It also creates a lovely mouth feel.

Finally, lemon, for that familiar sourness that we all know and love and simply can’t be beaten in a G&T.
A great gin and tonic is best served simply. While this does go beyond the throw-it-all-in-and-hope-for-the-best method, the use of just a couple of bold, unadulterated flavours and simple extraction techniques really does make it come alive.

Fancy trying it at home?

Matt’s Fig Leaf & Bay Gin and Tonic

INGREDIENTS

50ml fig leaf-infused Bombay Sapphire (see below for recipe)
30ml bay leaf tonic reduction (see below for recipe)
12.5ml lemon juice
Approx. 170ml Vichy Catalan or another sparkling spa water

METHOD

Pour the fig leaf-infused gin, the bay tonic reduction and the lemon juice into a highball glass and fill with ice cubes. Stir everything then top up with the sparkling water. Stir again, garnish with lemon peel (if you fancy) and enjoy under a fig tree (if available :)).

FOR THE FIG LEAF-INFUSED GIN

Use approx. 200g of fig leaves for every 70cl bottle of Bombay Sapphire. I use my most technical bit of kit for this – a sous vide vacuum sealer – but you could easily use a good, old-fashioned Kilner jar. Submerge the leaves in the gin so they’re completely covered and store the jar in a dark place for around a week.

FOR THE BAY TONIC REDUCTION

Heat two litres of tonic water in a pan for on a medium-high heat until it’s reduced by around three quarters of its original volume to roughly 500ml. Remove the pan from the heat and steep 100g of fresh bay leaves in the liquid as it cools. When it has cooled discard the used bay leaves and place the infused liquid in a food blender. Add another 100 grams of fresh bay and blend until the leaves have been obliterated. Pass the liquid through a muslin cloth before adding some sugar – about 5% of the leftover volume (i.e 50g if you have one litre).