Last December, when that great stoic Neil Pendock first informed us that a "secret" gin bar was opening in the courtyard at the back of the Honest Chocolate Cafe in Wale Street, Cape Town, he mentioned that The Gin Bar's hipsterish owners had given their venture the working title of Bathtub - a clever name, given the rise in popularity of locally distilled artisanal gin. Granted, these spirits are way superior to the hooch cooked up in prohibition-era America that gave rise to the term "bathtub gin", which refers to any alcohol produced in home-made conditions, although it just so happened that gin was the predominant tipple in the 1920s.Many gin cocktails owe their existence to this bootleg stuff, as something had to be done to mask the foul taste. We remain grateful that no small number of them are still with us.Speaking of which, there are only four house specialities on the menu, which is somehow appropriate given the quaintness of the Victorian-styled bar. I opted for Ambition, made from fynbos-infused Inception from the Woodstock Gin Company, thyme, cucumber, cinnamon and Fevertree elderflower tonic water. It was not so much a cocktail as a tarted-up G&T. No problem: Kennan, behind the bar, was happy to mix us a brace of dirty martinis as well.We savoured the ambience of the place. The charming courtyard, with its small, gently babbling Roman fountain, is ideal for chilling after work and waiting for the traffic to die down. My guess, though, is that it won't be that way for long. Come the high season, everyone and their upcountry cousins are going to be hanging here.The Gin Bar, 64a Wale Street, 076-765-8306, Wednesdays to Saturdays, 5pm until late..