15. Mixologist Jody Rahme shares five classic recipes made with South African spirits cocktails

To celebrate the return of summer, mixologist Jody Rahme shares five classic cocktails made with South African spirit(s).

From agave spirits to rum, there’s a proliferation of South African distilled alcohol emerging in the path that local craft gin pioneered.

And they’re all worth investigating: The majority are handcrafted from local ingredients; they’re often small batch in distinctive bottles with beautifully designed labels, most of which would have been applied by hand.

“Local spirits are a great way to showcase South Africa’s rich and diverse landscape,” says mixologist Jody Rahme, who goes by the moniker Liquid Squire and is responsible for the bar at Gigi Rooftop, the inner-city drinks spot at the top of Gorgeous George hotel in Cape Town.

”We are extremely fortunate to have such a variety of climate zones, which enables us to produce a wide variety of spirits such as rum, agave, brandy and whisky and, of course, wine.”

Here are five classics with South African flavour...