Liquid luxuries
Emerging from the hard lockdown, it’s good to see that the South African entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well – especially as an ingredient in creative cocktail mixes
Just because we can’t visit our favourite cocktail spot, doesn’t mean we have to go without. These top bars in Joburg have created fabulous take-home solutions to bring the libations to you.
Sin + Tax
Award-winning mixologist Julian Short of Sin + Tax teamed up with Geometric Gin in 2018 to create some truly spectacular cocktails for highend game lodges in the bush. Now those bottled cocktails are available for home consumption. “We designed the bottled cocktails to be as simple as can be,” says Julian. He recommends storing the cocktails in the coldest part of your fridge as the cold temperature adds a smooth texture to the drinks.
The bottles are beautifully labelled and designed, enhancing the cocktail experience. “The idea behind the label was to keep the packaging as simple and minimalistic as possible so that the focus would be on the beautiful liquid inside.” Bottled cocktails on offer include Leaf Litter (Geometric Gin, Floral Tonic), Afrogroni (Geometric Gin, Bitter Orange Aperitif, Cape Dry Vermouth), Cape Old Fashioned (Cape Brandy, Orange Blossom Honey, Bitters) and Dry Martini (Geometric Gin, Cape Dry Vermouth, Orange Bitters).
Tonic
This small gin bar in Linden is now giving its customers the chance to enjoy its signature cocktails in the comfort of their homes. The Gin and Tonic kits are available for delivery on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and each week you’ll get a new cocktail offering. “With the prohibition on alcohol sales having put our gin bar out of business for the last two months of hard lockdown, we were so excited when level 3 allowed us as a restaurant to deliver alcohol,” says Caitlin Human from Tonic. “We decided rather than the usual wine and beers to offer what we’re known for, which is our fun gin and tonic combinations and cocktails.”
This past week has been all about sugar and spice, with Marshmallow Mother Fluffer Gin, cinnamon Spice Gin or Bluepea Gin packaged with tonics and garnish. The kit includes four shots of gin, four tonic waters and garnish, and is priced at R200.
Mix Cocktail Bar at Mesh
Both members and non-members are welcome to purchase alcohol at the Mesh Club’s Mix Cocktail Bar in Rosebank. Members have access to the full club and can enjoy a takeaway cappuccino while they wait, and both members and non-members can have their alcohol delivered to the car.
Spirits, beer, wine, bubbles and mixers are on the menu, and soon they’ll be introducing bottled cocktails, but there’s a few promotional items that are worth taking a look at – when you buy Monkey47 gin you’ll receive 12 Schweppes tonics, and purchasing 48 bottles of Heineken or Heineken 00 gets you a free ice bucket.
For your wine needs, the concierge team have access to a sommelier who can advise you on your wine purchase. As an added bonus, if you order your alcohol through Mesh, non-members will receive a complimentary hot-desk day pass to work at the Mesh Club this month.