Behind bars: Lucky Shaker, Durban
The bar:
Bartender Michael Stephenson opened Lucky Shaker in Umhlanga in November 2014 and, in 2018, opened a second bar in Ballito.
The vibe:
Think laid-back, Durban cool. “We don’t have TVs or show sport, so we’re very focused on getting people to enjoy each other’s company,” says Michael.
The ethos:
Apart from making great cocktails,
The Lucky Shaker team is committed to reducing the bar’s impact on the planet. Since switching to kegs for soda and tonic water in 2015, they have saved 25 000 cans from ending up in the bin. They also strive to avoid food waste, infusing pineapple skins into rum, juicing the flesh and even dehydrating the spent pulp to make fruit leather. And by using whey instead of egg white for frothy cocktails, they have saved
6 000 eggs over the past three years.
When one of our team members returned from a pilgrimage to the Umhlanga branch of this bar, she couldn’t stop raving about a certain pineapple-andcoconut cocktail. We had to find out why
The food:
Try one of the burgers, which are ground using three different cuts of beef (sirloin, shortrib and brisket). The Greek lamb taco, made using slow-cooked, pulled lamb shoulder, red onion, and cumin and garlicyoghurt sauce, is another crowd favourite.
The cocktail:
A rum-based drink called the Painkiller, from The Soggy Dollar Bar in the British Virgin Islands, was the inspiration for this drink. Named for its inaccessible location – which forces sailors to moor in the bay and wade to the bar, leaving their cash dripping wet – it’s an iconic bar that’s been a favourite among sailors for 20 years. Lucky Shaker’s version is called Mick’s Medicine in an homage to barman Mick. “This recipe benefits greatly from the freshly pressed queen pineapples grown in KZN,” says Michael. “When coldpressed, they have a delicious rich and creamy consistency.”