SIX COCKTAIL BAR AND RESTAURANT – MELVILLE
You can’t live in (or visit) Joburg and not go to Six. The dimly-lit bar is one of the oldest spots in the city, but it has a knack of reinventing itself. As it’s in Melville, it makes sense that many soapie stars frequent the bar as the SABC building is a stone’s throw away. Six has some of the best cocktails in Joburg. Try Six In The City, for example, with a dash of Rémy Martin mixed with Cointreau and some sparkling wine. That should get you buzzing. If that’s not your thing, Six keeps it sexy with the Señorita Caliente – a balanced concoction of Olmeca tequila, some berries, lime, mint and chilli. Surely that will do the job. If these options are too girly for you, why not try the Che Guevara, another Olmeca-inspired drink, but this one comes with lemon and blackberry. The naughty types will order the Pink Pussy, which is a mixture of passion fruit, pineapple and orange. Whatever you decide, Six never fails to deliver.
CHAMPAGNE BAR – 54 ON BATH ROSEBANK
If you are into the high life, this is where you ought to be. The Champagne Bar at 54 on Bath forms part of the rich history of the hotel. You may not be a resident, but once you get to level four, you become a welcome patron at their fancy restaurant and bar. Whereas Wimpy gives you bottomless cokes, expect overflowing glasses of Verve Clicquot at Champagne Bar.
CANTARE – FOURWAYS
Several people I know have called this place the “devil’s den”. But they don’t regret going and, in fact, can’t wait to go back. If you look at what Cantare offers, it all makes sense. Don’t be fooled by the No-Jito or Innocent Cabaret, which are non-alcoholic. The shooters alone include Liquid Cocaine (vodka with blue curaçao and lime) and the French Kiss (strawberry liqueur, Cape Velvet and fresh cream). Order their Cantare Crush cocktail and you will get premium vodka, fresh lime, cucumber, torn mint and apple juice. You can get Cantare’s version of classics like Mojito, Margarita and Martinis too.
NEWSCAFE – PRETORIA
If you find yourself in the 012 area code, you have to try out NewsCafe. You have options of going to Woodmead, Menlyn and even Centurion. This place is ruling the country thanks to the vibe it always has. Their cocktails are also suggestively named for those who want to “seal the deal”. Take Truth or Flare, for example, which is a mixture of Skyy Citrus Vodka, Operol, long apple sours, ronin grapefruit syrup, shaken pressed apple juice and lemonade. And how can you have a straight face ordering the Adam & Eve when you know what those two got up to in the end? But that’s just it: here the cocktail is not forbidden, but encouraged, and it comes with Smirnoff double black vodka, shaken with Captain Morgan, Spiced Gold, Monin kiwi puree, fresh lemon juice, fresh mint leaves and some cranberry juice on top.