Sip on these this summer
A summer line-up of new beverages on the block (lots of gin, of course!)
Cruxland, the earthy gin made with Kalahari truffles, rooibos and honeybush, has launched a limited-edition version finished in French oak brandy barrels, resulting in a complex, elegant and well-balanced sipper. Exclusive to Tops at Spar, R370
Once known as ‘Sugarlandia’ thanks to its high-quality sugar cane, Negros in the Philippines is where Don Papa, the world’s first single-island rum, is made. The new limited-edition Sherry Cask rum has notes of plum, figs and dark chocolate. R699
Mad Giant Brewery’s new Captain Ginger is a premium ginger beer with, yes, 4% alcohol. This zesty, bubbly thirstquencher is made from real ginger fermented with unrefined sugar. Dried elderflowers and hibiscus extract give it the pink colour. R75 (four-pack)
Sure, it’s a bit of a mouthful to say, but Auchentoshan (‘OK-ken-TO-Shan’) is what you want to use for a ‘hauf an a hauf’ (whisky and ale) this summer. It’s the only tripledistilled whisky in Scotland, made near Glasgow, and so it’s light and easydrinking. R349
Founded by two lifelong friends united by a love of fine tastes, Cape Town distillery Innocent Spirits is making the softest, smoothest sipping spirits that stand on their own. To start, try the oak-aged Baritone Gin and Rum62 (yip, 62% vol), a rich full-bodied classic Caribbean. R450 and R400 respectively
Seedlip is the world’s first nonalcoholic distilled beverage, inspired by herbal recipes Ben Branson found in a 1651 tome called The Art of Distillation. A ‘complex adult drink’, Seedlip, comes in Garden 108 (notes of peas, hay, spearmint, rosemary and thyme) and Spice 94 (spice berries, cardamom, citrus peel and oak bark). Serve it with tonic. R249
Pampelle is a French aperitif made with ruby grapefruits from Corsica, citrus peels (yuzu from japan, citron from India, bigarade from Seville) as well as quinine, gentian bitters and eau de vie. Serve with tonic or Champagne and soda. R399
Captain Stone Johannesburg Rum is named after one of the ‘heroes’ of Prohibition: Stuart Stanley Stone was a Canadian rum runner who delivered illegal alcohol along the west coast of America. Fittingly, this single-barrel rum from Still 33, a distillery in Gauteng, has been aged in bourbon barrels. R329
Baked wheat replaces rye in Maker’s Mark bourbon, resulting in less ‘bite’ and more sweetness. ‘If we could make it any faster, we wouldn’t’ is the old joke at the Kentucky distillery, where everything is done by hand – even the label comes from a hand-operated 1935 Chandler & Price press. R329
Deadly nightshade berries have been used in potions, poisons and anaesthetics for centuries. The black nightshade (Solanum nigrum) berries used to make Belladonna Gin, however, are harmless but delicious. They also give the gin its purple colouring, which turns bright pink when tonic is added. Only 2019 bottles of it were made this year in Langebaan by West Coast Distillers. R360
Bloedlemoen is the world’s first gin to be made with blood orange, locally sourced from farmers in the Western Cape. The new variant, Amber, adds honeybush and fynbos to the infusion. R389
Baroq is a locally made, modern take on chocolate liqueur. Named after the most decadent era in history (and when chocolate made its way from the New World to Europe), it has four flavours: Turkish delight, liquorice, orange and truffle. It’s 100% vegan, lactose and gluten free, and doesn’t need to be refrigerated. R120