Tiny Paper Umbrellas — Cape Town for cocktail connoisseurs

Cape Town Cocktails

So we didn’t invent cock­tails, but South Africans have def­in­itely embraced the tra­di­tion of put­ting (often lethal) com­bin­a­tions of spir­its into a glass, adding some exotic fruit or a tiny paper umbrella, and giv­ing it a funny name.

Once the reserve of beach­side resorts and TV shows about upwardly mobile, thirty-something women in New York, the cock­tail bar has in recent years become a fix­ture of Cape Town’s night­life. You’d be hard pressed to find a night­spot in the city that couldn’t mix you up a decent drink, but there are a few places you simply can’t miss out on …

Julep is an incred­ibly unas­sum­ing little gem of a place, just off bust­ling Long Street in Cape Town's City Centre. Named after its sig­na­ture drink, the Mint Julep (mint, bour­bon, sugar and water), it offers a stag­ger­ing vari­ety of cock­tails: all the clas­sics – remixed into invent­ive yet highly pal­at­able fla­vours – and a num­ber of ori­ginal recipes. The interior of the bar is cosy, with the arrange­ment of squashy sofas lend­ing itself to the accom­mod­a­tion of small, intim­ate parties. There is a bar snacks and tapas menu for the slightly peck­ish, which is equal parts con­cise and tasty. Happy hour – all cock­tails R20 – is Tuesday to Saturday 5-8pm, and all night Monday, giv­ing you ample oppor­tun­ity – and excuse – to work your way through the ridicu­lously tempt­ing drinks menu.

Cape Town Cocktails

Still in the Ciy, Those with a little extra money to burn should def­in­itely visit Planet Bar, Cape Town’s first cham­pagne bar, at the Mount Nelson Hotel. Luxuriously dec­or­ated with a mix­ture of vel­vet, satin and leather, the interior of the bar pays trib­ute to the hotel’s long his­tory, fea­tur­ing accoutre­ments from the 40s and 50s – think ultra cool with a touch of colo­nial elegance.

Obviously the wine and cham­pers list is extens­ive and award win­ning, but the new cock­tail menu is far from shabby. Besides, you know you’ve arrived when you’re sip­ping your drinks in a place that lists caviar and oysters as bar snacks. And don’t for­get to look up  — the bar gets its name from the large plan­et­ary mobile sus­pen­ded from the ceil­ing, and the fibre-optic light sys­tem rep­res­ent­ing the Milky Way and stars of the Southern Hemisphere. Bar opens at 5pm daily, and 3pm on Fridays.

Cocktails

Nestled just out­side of the city, in Kalk Bay, is the endur­ing Cape To Cuba, a kind of bar/restaurant trib­ute to old Havana. The bar is famed for its superb moji­tos and caipirin­has (what else?), mixed by bar­men out­fit­ted in Cuban slacks and Che Guevara ber­ets. Cosy up in the busy yet intim­ate res­taur­ant, or suck on a cigar in the Che bar out­side. Interestingly, just about everything that’s not nailed down is for sale, from cigars and mem­or­ab­ilia to the tables and chandeliers.

Beluga in Green Point is another port of call for the cock­tail con­nois­seur. Its drinks menu is com­prised within a quirky, mini-newspaper format, which is updated reg­u­larly to include the more-ish con­coc­tions con­stantly being added. Feel free to dither over the choice between the more clas­sic drinks to the very ori­ginal (Caramello Pear any­one?) to the abso­lutely regal Moët & Chandon Champagne cock­tail – ‘A brown sugar cube drenched in Angosturra bit­ters and Hennessy Paradis Extra Cognac charged with Moët & Chandon’. It’ll only set you back R299. Summertime sees loc­als stream­ing through the restaurant’s doors for their half price spe­cials on sushi and cock­tails, a match made in din­ing heaven.

Lastly, the Radisson Hotel in Granger Bay is an old favour­ite for Capetonians in the mood for lazy sun­down­ers. Tobago’s Bar and Terrace juts over the sea and provides the per­fect spot for sip­ping on some­thing indulgent.

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Desirable Digits:
Julep — +27 (0)21 423‑4276
Planet Bar — +27 (0)21 483‑1737
Cape To Cuba — +27 (0)21 788‑1566
Beluga — +27 (0)21 418‑2948
Tobago's Bar & Terrace — +27 (0)21 441‑3000

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For more des­tin­a­tion inform­a­tion see:
Cape Town Attractions
Cape Town Hotels
Cape Town Accommodation
Things to Do in Cape Town