A side order ... of drinks

There’s been so much innovation on the South African drinks scene in the past few years it’s actually been quite difficult to keep up. From the multitudes of craft gins, to South African takes on tequila and natural wines, it’s clear that the sky is the limit for talented local distillers and winemakers.

No wonder, then, that some of them are feeling extra creative and branching out into areas they hadn’t previously explored: think winemakers well known for white wines making a red blend, anonymously, for the Publik Kolab project, for example.

Then there’s the innovative Cape Town rum-maker who recently decided to create a Tiki-style gin, and the top local gin-makers who have been nurturing a most unusual brandy.

While it’s tempting to call these “side projects”, doing so does risk putting them in a non-serious category that we wouldn’t actually want to see these brilliant offerings reduced to. But the best policy is probably not to worry too much about how to categorise them, and simply enjoy ...

COPELAND TIKI GIN

Distilled with pineapple, tonka bean and a host of tropical spices, James Copeland’s new Tiki-style gin is something genuinely unusual in an increasingly crowded category.

This innovative young distiller has been making his acclaimed Copeland Rum at his Cape Town premises for a while now – and says that when making this new spirit, he wanted to experiment “with tropical flavours to see if we could take gin to the beach”.

This is definitely a gin for those who love bold flavours.

Says the brand: “Exotic pairings are encouraged such as fresh juice blends or ginger ale to encourage the spice and botanicals. Think vibrant, colourful and exotic: edible flowers, mint sprigs, whole star anise and cinnamon quills.”

Visit the brand’s website and Instagram feed for more info; Copeland Tiki Gin retails from R395 for 750ml and is available from a range of liquor stores.

MR FANTASTIC 2017

A natural white wine created as part of the first Publik Kolab project, Mr Fantastic 2017 is a blend of 64% Clairette Blanche, 29% Viognier and 7% Chenin Blanc – and it’s absolutely delicious.

We’ve been imbibing it regularly since early January and it is consistently pleasing ...

The Kolab Project is a curated range of wines created by the innovative wine retailers at Publik in collaboration with “select rock-star winemakers” who have chosen to remain anonymous.

Mr Fantastic 2017 is a medium-bodied skin-contact wine that was made entirely naturally, with minimal sulphur addition. It has fresh yet subtly spicy flavours of baked apple and is best served well chilled.

Purchase Mr Fantastic 2017, and the other Kolab wines – also anonymously created and highly recommended – from the Publik website at R165 per bottle.

BREAD + BUTTER

Pienaar & Son was one of the first Cape Town distilleries to produce artisanal local gins, and their products are widely regarded as absolutely top-notch.

But the brand’s newest offering, a limited-edition local brandy called Bread + Butter, is possibly even more interesting. (With very cute packaging to match, too!)

It was crafted from 10-year-old Cape brandies and aged in a single bourbon cask, resulting in just 550 bottles of a drink that sports notes of maple syrup and spices – making it our nightcap of choice for autumn and winter 2020.

Bread + Butter is available to purchase from the Pienaar & Son website at R550 for 500ml.