Welcome to Boothby’s Decoder, in which we take one great drink and ask its creator to break it down for us.
First up is James Irvine. He’s been working for Australian gin brand Four Pillars for the last two and a half years, having served as the creative in charge of the drinks program for some of Australia’s best bars before that: The Baxter Inn, Restaurant Hubert, and Shady Pines Saloon among them.
Irvine’s current role is as Creative Director – Gin Drinks which sees him working with Four Pillars “on a drinks, trade and consumer front; now all of which has come into fruition in our newly opened Four Pillars Laboratory in Surry Hills, Sydney,” he says.
Below, Irvine tells us how he developed the wonderfully named Oki Doki Hinoki (Changing Seasons Gin, Tōji Junmai, yuzu and hinoki), from the menu at the Four Pillars lab.
For me, this adult beverage is applicable to many an occasion, as it’s a hybrid cocktail of a wet Martini and a Gimlet. However, I enjoy it most pre-dinner, maybe with a tray of oysters.