4 Cape bars every serious gin lover should know about

20 May 2017 - 02:00 By Richard Holmes
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Sansibar Gin Lounge at Asara Wine Estate outside Stellenbosch is hansomely stocked with different spirits and even offers gin tasting.
Sansibar Gin Lounge at Asara Wine Estate outside Stellenbosch is hansomely stocked with different spirits and even offers gin tasting.
Image: Supplied

Gin continues to be the flavour of the month as small-batch distilleries and chic cocktail bars return some of the glamour to the potent spirit once dubbed Mother’s Ruin.

From Negronis to G&Ts, here are four of the Cape's top spots to enjoy a gin tipple:

1) The Gin Bar

Hidden away in a cosy courtyard behind Honest Chocolate, The Gin Bar keeps its menu small and offers an array of classic and creative cocktails shaken and stirred using both local and imported gins.

While gin is the star attraction, there’s also a compact selection of interesting single malts and bourbons on offer.

The Upstairs Bar is open in the evenings (Thursday to Saturday), which is useful when the (tiny) courtyard is full. Guided gin tastings are available for small groups.

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2) Mother’s Ruin

Paying homage to the drink’s infamous reputation in Georgian London, Mother’s Ruin is an altogether more upmarket space than the name suggests.

One of the city’s first bars devoted to gin, today you’ll find dozens of gins behind the bar, including rare and small-batch bottlings.

There’s a good selection of tonics too, and the cocktails – both classic and creative – are reliably good. It’s a fine place to get acquainted with a Negroni.

For more info, e-mail mothersruincapetown@gmail.com

3) The Local at Peddlars and Co

If you’re in need of a G and T, but can’t be bothered to drive to the CBD, The Local at Peddlars and Co, along-standing Constantia haunt, stocks more than 40 gins, alongside a range of tonics. With a sun-splashed garden a few steps away, it’s ideally suited to an uncomplicated G and T on a sunny afternoon.

Feeling peckish? Book a table at the adjoining Graciales for light bites from chef Brad Ball.

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4) Sansibar Gin Lounge

With more than 280 gins from across the world on offer, you’ll struggle to find a better-stocked bar than the Sansibar Gin Lounge at Asara Wine Estate outside Stellenbosch. Throw in a dozen different tonic waters, and a barman who knows how to shake a cocktail, and you’re in for a gin-infused treat. Want something unusual? Try the Vor gin all the way from Iceland.

 

This was originally published in one of the Sunday Times Neighbourhood: Property and Lifestyle guides. Visit Yourneighbourhood.co.za, like YourNeighbourhoodZA on Facebook and follow YourHoodZA on Twitter.

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