Bar: Leopard Bar
Address: The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa, Victoria Road, Camps Bay, Cape Town
021 437 9015
Cocktail: The Perfect Ten
Price: R70
Ingredients: Absolut Citron, Absolut Raspberry Vodka, orange juice, blue curacao and pomegranate syrup.
This five-star sea-facing hotel celebrated its 10th anniversary last November.
In honour of the occasion, barman Grayden Philemon looked to the Camps Bay sunset for inspiration.
He builds three layers in a martini glass. At the bottom is a shaken mix of Citron, orange juice and a little squeeze of lime.
The next layer is a shaken mix of blue curacao and raspberry vodka. Lastly, he dashes with pomegranate juice and garnishes with a twist of orange peel and a cherry on the rim.
I could clearly see the layers in the wide brimmed glass. It has a very fruity taste of first orange, and then raspberry. I would sip and savour slowly at R70 a pop. From above, the depth of the drink looks shallow because of the wide brim. But a side view shows it is an adequate drink. It has a balanced taste that is not spiky.
The Leopard Bar has a bit of an old world game lodge feel, complete with slow-spinning ceiling fans, conical lampshades, a fireplace, animal prints, foliage print wallpaper and images of wildlife.
The bar has live entertainment most nights from 6pm with Jenni Oliver, Jeremy Olivier and Breakfast Included on the line-up.
Smoking is on the outside terrace, an ideal view of the Atlantic for a sundowner treat.
The Leopard Bar is open from 7am to 12.30am daily.
Their cocktail of the month is currently a frozen strawberry margarita for R65. – Wendyl Martin, Weekend Argus