Five Gin-Paired Dishes to Try at the Returned Project Botanicals Pop-up

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Shaken. Stirred. Mixed or on the rocks. To Melburnians, a Bombay Sapphire cocktail is classier than even James Bond. At least the overwhelming success of last year’s Project Botanicals would suggest. If you didn’t get in before tickets sold out, fear not — Bombay’s gincentric pop-up is reopening for a second series from June 24 to July 11.

Masterchef’s Gary Mehigan is back, curating ten delicate and delectable pairings to cocktails by the best ‘ginstronomers’ in the city. Here are five of the best dishes to consider for your two-course experience.

JAMON SERRANO WITH BRUSCHETTA OF CONFIT RED PEPPER

Prosciutto-like and thinly sliced, the delicate meat is balanced by the warm flavour of confit red pepper, saffron and onions. Sat atop light toast and finished with smoked mayo, this dish is an Australian outback of auburn colours and flamed flavours. The vibrantly red Almond Blossom Martini adds to this colour scheme: Bombay, a vermouth combo of Noilly Prat and Antica Formula, almond-flavoured liqueur and Crawley’s Orgeat Syrup, served with a fresh orange twist.

CRISP TOSTADITAS WITH GIN CURED KINGFISH

For seafood lovers, this lighter, Latin-inspired dish combines perfectly cured kingfish with flame-roasted pablanos, sour cream and charred corn salsa. Forget the margarita; the paired Lemon Collins is the perfect refresher for the slightly spicy capsicum. A mixture of Bombay, fresh lemon juice, 1883 Sugar Syrup and Fever-Tree soda water, garnished with a dehydrated orange wedge. Who needs tequila when you have gin?

CHARGRILLED OCTOPUS WITH CAULIFLOWER SKORDALIA

Delicately charred with cauliflower puree, candied beetroot and fennel, this bright dish will lovingly remind you of summer while you block out the winter chill. The Cubeb Berry Lola pairing, a creation of Union Electric, is a cocktail of Bombay, Grand Marnier, fresh lime juice, coconut cream, and ginger syrup. Their unique twist is the edible viola flower and pineapple leaf garnish, both fun and functional.

DUCK PASTILLA

A Moroccan-style pie, this winter warmer is topped with duck pastrami and labneh (yoghurt cheese). The Black Pearl envisioned the Liquorice Pontefract accompaniment, the Willy Wonka of gin cocktails: a combination of Bombay, toasted fennel seed syrup, fresh lemon juice, Pastis Henri Bardouin, orange bitters, egg whites and Fever-Tree soda water, garnished with liquorice allsort, this one’s a doozy.

WARM HAZELNUT AND BROWN BUTTER FRIAND

For those with a sweet tooth, the warmed friand is moist, aromatic and just good for the soul. Topped with Olorosso ice cream, raisins and black sherry syrup, this is a decadent end to an indulgent evening. The Gin Palace matched this blissful dish with the equally heavenly Eve’s Cheat Day in Paradise: a warmed cocktail of Bombay, vermouth and ginger syrup, served with chocolate butter. Go ahead, treat yourself.

Project Botanicals will be open every Wednesday – Saturday evening from 6pm – 1am at 64 Sutton Street, North Melbourne. For $45 per person, you’ll be treated to two cocktails and two paired tapas style dishes. Book your tickets at Eventbrite.