Neilsen Braid isn’t the kind of drinks mind who jumps on a trend and calls it a day – he builds flavour, drawing from Mexico’s Yucatán with smoke, citrus, maize and a healthy respect for fire. For Sweethearts Terraza, he’s stitched those influences into a cocktail program that feels unmistakably Sydney but anchored in real agave culture, not postcard fantasy. In this interview, he breaks down the flavours that shaped the menu, the non-negotiables behind his hero serves, and the creative push-and-pull with chef Roberto Ibarra that kept the drinks honest, balanced and anything but monotoned.
What flavours or moments from Mexico were your starting point for the cocktail list?
Braid:
When I think of Mexico, especially the Yucatán, I think of the clash of coastal freshness, jungle aromatics, open-fire cooking, fruit markets, and beach club indulgence.
I gravitated toward chipotle for its smoke and earthiness, citrus for its bright acid, and maize for that creamy, soft sweetness that’s so central to Mexican food culture.
My challenge then became building variety and complexity into the menu. Yucatán isn’t one-dimensional and I didn’t want the list to be either. I wanted to play with layered heat, agave varietals, in-house fermentation and carbonation.
I chose these ingredients as they pushed me to figure out how to make them work in a balanced, modern way.
Your drinks rely on bespoke infusions and house-made syrups – which one became your “this has to stay on the menu” ingredient?
Braid:
When the team first approached me with the brief, the non-negotiable quickly became the flavour work behind the Sol Fuego (Sun Fire).
I was strong that we needed a show-stopping spicy margarita to anchor the cocktail program, something that ties back to the smoke and heat that the Yucatán is famous for.
I wanted a drink that wasn’t just short and sharp. You need heat, but I wanted smoke, depth and an herbal note – something that actually lingers on the palate.
The chipotle fat wash gives the drink a rich, round mouthfeel, helping to carry the heat whilst also providing a balanced complexity. This is what makes it my favourite cocktail on the list; to me it sets the tone for the whole program.
Clarified cocktails are having a moment. What makes your clarified Tommy’s twist worth the effort?
Braid:
I love a classic Tommy’s, so if we were going to clarify it, it had to be more than just a visual trick. The drink needed to change in both texture and subtle flavour, without losing what makes a Tommy’s great.
We clarified ours using coconut cream, which leaves this beautiful, light oily texture and the softest hint of coconut – it’s more about mouthfeel than taste.
The result is a Tommy’s that’s still bright, fresh and recognisable, but now it’s silky, crystal clear and really memorable.
We didn’t reinvent the drink; we just refined it in a way that makes you notice it differently.
How did you and Roberto collaborate to make sure the cocktails and the food speak the same language?
Braid:
I was incredibly lucky to work with Roberto. Being Australian (a Gringo if you will), it was so helpful to have someone from that region to check ideas and flavours with. His food menu is so authentic in style, and I wanted to ensure that the cocktail program lived up to that same level of authenticity.
Despite how busy he was running his own business, San Pancho, he always made time to taste drinks and offer ideas that were outside my usual way of thinking. I learnt a lot from him, especially around detail and restraint.
From the start, our goal was to build a harmonious menu, with cocktails that either complement or contrast the flavours in his dishes without overpowering them. We tasted constantly, matched acidity with spice, played with smoke against freshness, and built drinks to enhance the way the food is experienced.
What he’s created in the kitchen is amazing, and that level of care pushed me to bring the same clarity and intention to the cocktails.
Joel McDermott, General Manager, Jumps In
To close out the conversation, Sweethearts Terraza General Manager Joel McDermott weighed in on the venue’s identity and the rooftop’s loyal following.
Sweethearts Terraza is being pitched as “effortlessly Sydney” with Yucatán energy. How did you find that balance without turning it into theme-park Mexico?
McDermott:
The goal was never to replicate Mexico; it was to capture the underlying attitude, flavour and spirit of the Yucatán and let it live naturally in Sydney.
We’re in Potts Point, on a sunny rooftop, overlooking a neighbourhood that loves good food and good drinks without the gimmicks. So instead of building a “Mexican set,” we focused on creating a relaxed coastal atmosphere where agave, spice, smoke, tropical fruit and citrus belong as comfortably as oysters and rosé do on a Sydney summer afternoon.
The Yucatán energy comes through in the flavours and techniques, not decorations. It’s in the way we use maize, chipotle, fire, fermentation and agave with the same respect you’d show Australian seafood or native produce. We lean into texture, acidity and freshness rather than clichés.
Sweethearts Terraza feels Sydney because it’s open, bright and a little bit cheeky; it feels Yucatán because it’s driven by flavour, warmth and a genuine love for agave culture. We let the two meet naturally, without forcing either one into costume.
The original Potts Point rooftop has a bit of a cult following. What was non-negotiable to get right in this new era?
McDermott:
We’ve always felt Sweethearts is the place you end up spending the whole afternoon without planning to. This venue has always been about sunshine, good music and drinks that feel easy in your hand, so our job wasn’t to reinvent that energy but to elevate it.
We’ve modernised the offering, tightened the drinks and stepped up the food, but we kept the core experience light, social and a bit spontaneous. You can come for that boozy long lunch, the friend’s brunch, a date night dinner, or you can wander in for one drink that becomes many. It all still has a home on the roof.
For us, the non-negotiable wasn’t a menu item or a design detail – it was protecting that relaxed rooftop personality, and then giving it a new level of flavour to live in.