Got R40k? You can buy 'SA's most unusual & expensive' gin cocktail

A man walks into a bar and orders a R40,000 cocktail.

It sounds unlikely, but it could happen on November 1, when three gin cocktails, served in hand-painted ceramic goblets, go on sale for that price in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Umhlanga, north of Durban.

Shaun Stemmett, SA brand manager of Hendrick's Gin, which is made in Scotland, said the stunt represented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to buy "SA's most unusual and expensive" cocktail - which comes pre-mixed with vermouth and tonic water.

Others involved in the promotion are Ardmore Ceramics in KwaZulu-Natal, Svalbardi polar iceberg water (a 750ml bottle costs about €70, or R1,200) and local tonic water brand Barker and Quin.

The cocktail to be sold in Cape Town, at the Mount Nelson Hotel, already has an interested buyer.

The drinks come in specially made, elaborate Ardmore goblets that are big enough to allow whoever buys them to share with a friend or two.

"This is for people looking for the ultimate liquid experience that will never be repeated," said Stemmett.

It will be first come, first served when the drinks, made from a small hand-crafted batch of gin, go on sale. The Oyster Box Hotel in Umhlanga and Marble restaurant in Johannesburg are the other venues.

The singular cocktails will be garnished with a gold rose leaf and ruby-coloured rose petal when served.

Cape Town is increasingly popular with gin connoisseurs, with at least six craft distillers in the city centre, Woodstock and Salt River. Many use fynbos species such as buchu and rooibos in their products.

According to industry experts, the number of gin brands in SA has grown over the past three years from a handful to more than 130.

The world's most expensive gin, Watenshi from the Cambridge Distillery in the UK, sells for £2,000 (about R37,300) per silver-leafed bottle. Six bottles are produced a year.