Bar: Roxy’s Cafe
Address: 14 Wandel Street, Cape Town
Contact: 021 461 8507
Cocktail: Glühwein
Price: R28
Ingredients: Brandy, orange zest, orange pieces, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger and red wine
Winter goes with glühwein like summer goes with fruity, well, cocktails.
The cold season does not pass me by without a few goblets of this cafe’s hot spiced wine.
Roxy’s owner, James Munro, simmers the glühwein for two to three hours. He makes about five to six litres at a time, which in this weather is often sold in one night.I
He says that love is his main ingredient. It’s an adaptation of a friend’s recipe that Munro has been serving at Roxy’s for three years. Although it’s a warm winter drink, Roxy’s serves glühwein all year round.
I like the spiciness of the drink; it is better than the over-fruitiness of glühwein at other establishments. The taste of orange is evident. It’s very sweet and there are no fruit pieces in the goblet.
One went down well, but I usually have two, or sometimes three, at a sitting.
The spices were mixed well and there was no residue at the bottom of the goblet.
Roxy’s has a fireplace downstairs that warms both floors. If you want to brave the cold, there are tables outside on Dunkley Square under globe-lit trees.
The cafe has an off-beat style and is decorated with film and comic book posters, and it has mannequins in the bathroom.
Try the chilli poppers as your accompanying tapas; a portion of four costs R40 and they are filled with feta and cheddar.
Be wary of the staircase if you aren’t sober, as it is quite narrow.
Smoking is upstairs and outside.
Roxy’s is open Monday to Friday from noon to 2am and on Saturdays from 6pm to 2am. – Weekend Argus