Top 5 bars in… Cape Town

Cape Town is becoming highly regarded as a hotbed for creative behind-the-bar talent, acting as a beacon for future star SA mixologists, as Barchick reveals.

BarChick rounds up the top 5 best bars in South Africa’s Cape Town

South Africa has been enjoying a cocktail renaissance in recent years with world class bars opening up across the country, but nowhere is forging the way more so than Cape Town. The city has always been known for its vibrant bar culture from al fresco bars with menus filled with awesome wines to late night party dens, but it has now emerged as a leader in the local scene, where South African bartenders come to train before going on to win competitions around the world.

Asian-inspired Asoka Bar can be credited as the first bar in the city to serve cocktails of consistently high quality, with trailblazing owner Paul Hetreed pushing the mixology movement forward. But at the heart of the recent development is undoubtedly Orphanage Cocktail Emporium. The best cocktail bar in Cape Town, if not South Africa, the staff are actively encouraged to enter competitions and develop their skills, which pushes the boundaries locally and attracts recognition internationally. Bartenders Assaf Yechiel and Brent Perremore made the national finals of Diageo Reserve World Class, with Perremore taking the title for the second time (he also represented SA in Rio in 2012).

Nick Koumbarakis, who was part of the Orphanage team when he won the SA National World Class title last year, has now set up his own bar, The House of Machines. This American style bar, with a weekly changing menu of classically-influenced cocktails, has been making waves throughout the city. Talking about the Cape Town bar scene, Koumbarakis explains: “We are still in the fledgling phase of the bartending community, playing catch up with the rest of the world in terms of trends. However, the industry is on the verge of breaking that norm just like Melbourne and Singapore are currently going through.”

Previously conservative Cape Town consumers are becoming increasingly adventurous in terms of their food and drink choices, and bartenders like Koumbarakis have been working on educating their guests to make informed decisions about what they drink. “We’re noticing that our guests are now ordering drinks by name even though we won’t necessarily feature them that week, such as the White Lady or the Corpse Reviver #2. It’s fantastic that they are broadening their drinks vocabulary as opposed to the usual suspects — the Margarita, Long Island Iced Tea or the Mojito,” he says.

Potential bartenders are starting to see mixology as a viable career. Bar school and bar consultancy Shaker South Africa, which has worked with many of the leading figures in the industry, was established in 2006 in Cape Town and has seen a peak in interest in training and education. “At Shaker we are doubling students annually, and that’s been happening for the last two years now. This year we will train 2,000,” senior trainer and bar consultant Vlad Klaic says.

Both the consumer demand and the increasing standards have had a knock-on effect with brands taking a vested interest in the SA scene. The Diageo World Class Bartender programme and Bacardi Legacy global cocktail competition not only assist the overall development of the profession, but also provide the skill sets for bartenders to improve. “Brands most certainly are investing more into bartenders, hosting more training seminars and brand awareness activations annually. They’re realising the market is becoming more educated about alcohol,” Klaic explains.

Cape Town is starting to act as a catalyst to industry change further afield with several creative Capetonians reaching for the untapped markets of Johannesburg and Durban. One has to only look at where the winners of the country’s biggest cocktail competitions have come from in recent years for evidence. But those same competitions are also showing that the rest of the country is closing the gap, particularly Johannesburg and Durban.

Cape Town may be the Design Capital of 2014, but while many focus on the arts and architecture on offer, it’s quietly becoming the cocktail capital of South Africa.

Flick through the next few pages to discover the best bars in Cape Town.

For more global bar recommendations, visit BarChick.

Asoka Bar

68 Kloof Street; asoka.za.com

Owner Paul Hetreed can be thanked for pioneering the way for craft cocktails in Cape Town, setting the standards high at Asoka. Inspired by its namesake, the third Mauryan Emperor of India, there is a magical fairytale feel with fusion Asian cuisine to match.

Bascule Bar

Cape Grace Hotel, W Quay Road; basculebar.com

Located in the colonial-style Cape Grace Hotel, this is the top whisky bar in South Africa with over 500 whiskies from around the world on offer. They also have excellent whisky cocktails with head bartender Devin Cross creating consistently reliable drinks.

The House of Machines

84 Shortmarket Street; thehouseofmachines.com

Opened by former Orphanage bartender Nick Koumbarakis, the House of Machines is something completely different both in terms of concept and drinks. Part of a multi-purpose space, this Prohibition-style bar is cool on all fronts. With live acoustic music, the vibe is laidback but the cocktails are classic, with a weekly changing five-strong menu. This is also one of the only bars to focus on their ice programme too.

Orphanage Cocktail Emporium

227 Bree Street; theorphanage.co.za

Located off Orphan Street, this bar wouldn’t feel out of place in London. The cocktail list is impressive, with several twists on classics, exciting infusions and impressive attention to detail and presentation. There is outside seating and also a second bar downstairs for when things get rammed at the weekends, so no one goes thirsty.

Vista Bar

Dock Road; oneandonlycapetown.com

This place gives great views. Rock up the plush hallway of the One&Only Hotel, and be wowed by the panoramic views of Table Mountain through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. You’ll need a drink, and luckily they’ve got a stunning range of top class liquor.