Cocktails anyone?

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@eatout_southafrica

Cocktails anyone?

Friday, April 8th, 2011

Whether it’s the association with sunset, beaches and holidays, or because of the innocent sweetness masking a reliably-potent alcohol content, there is something particularly tempting about cocktails.

There are the classics: sophisticated Martinis, James Bond’s preferred tipple, sweet and summary daiquiris, and tart, limey mojitos. For the more adventurous, many cocktail menus also boast all manner of exotic flavours such as gin infused with cucumber, coffee-infused vodka, and cinnamon-flavoured Schnapps.

At El Bulli, the former world number one restaurant, now closed, molecular gastronomist Ferran Adria took the job of cocktail mixing away from the barmen and gave it to the chefs. He liquidised several meals, and also famously began serving customers their Martinis in perfume bottles. “It applies flavour directly to your taste buds,” Adria told Class Magazine, of the spray technology, “it covers all of your mouth with those flavours… It obliges you to chew like you would wine.”

Dubbed molecular mixology, this trend sped across the world like a flaming Lamborghini, with barmen and mixologists using everything from candy floss to liquid nitrogen, Lapsang Souchong-Infused Gin to liquid smoke to create molecular cocktails. Cocktail sorbets also made an appearance, using agar and xantham gum to help turn high-alcohol cocktails into sorbet. One American vodka distillery even figured out how to infuse vodka with bacon; though whether this was an entirely laudable achievement seems doubtful.

Closer to home, mobile bar group, LiquidChefs have been known to turn out cocktail sushi, tagliatelle marshmallow vodka sashimi and liquid tiramisu. Geet, in Pretoria meanwhile, serve cocktails with an ethnic twist. Their Indian Cocktail contains ingredients you might be more accustomed to finding in a curry, with fennel, cumin and coriander making an appearance alongside other Indian spices.

Whether you’re an adventurous cocktail drinker, or prefer to stick to the classics, here is a list of restaurants which serve magnificent mojitos and divine daiquiris.

Johannesburg

8 @ the Towers

Aurelia’s

Back of the Moon

Signature cocktails: Strawberry Daiquiri and Blue Lagoon

Signature cocktail: Ciroc Martini

Coco Bongo

Rodizio