Share the spirit with new cocktail route
The Urban Brandy Cocktail Route has now landed in Durban and five of its chosen hot spots are offering a wide variety of cocktails to get those taste buds tingling.
THE sustained thirst for well-crafted, culinary cocktails continues as the Urban Brandy Cocktail Route (UBCR), now defined as ‘South Africa’s ultimate cocktail movement,’ announces its arrival on sunny Durban shores.
Since its Cape Town inception in early 2013, the route has spawned a passionate contingent of cocktail lovers whose tremendous support reflects the growing appreciation for SA’s world-class brandies.
The formation of this popular urban route speaks volumes of the evolution of brandy. As the ultimate experience-based initiative, the route celebrates the sunshine spirit’s rise from its more traditional role to its emergence as a sophisticated, modern spirit of unrivalled quality and versatility.
Having started small, with an initial launch of five venues, the UBCR has grown beyond all exponentially with a further 15 venues now added to the Cape Town route. Discovering brandy is a journey of layered textures and tastes and the UBCR is the perfect way for Durbanites to start the adventure.
“With its tropical summers and warm winters, exotic elements, laid-back coastal vibe and sociable, sunny people, Durban was the obvious natural extension of the Urban Brandy Cocktail route,” said Christelle Reade-Jahn, director of the SA Brandy Foundation. “The public’s response to cocktails they’ve tasted on the Cape Town route has simply blown us away. We know that Durbanites will be similarly bowled over by their experiences with these delectable drinks.”
The listing of participating Durban sipping spots for these second-to-none cocktails include Florida Road’s bustling ‘Upstairs’ at Spiga Dora, Boulevard, the new and increasingly popular Dropkick Murphy’s, Amsterdam Bar on Davenport Road and Café Vacca Matta at Suncoast Casino. Cocktail menus at each venue feature a selection of eight taste-shaping drinks, each with a premium South African brandy as its base. Cocktails include The Skinny, a low calorie option that’s big on taste, and the Ama-lekkerlicious, devised by master mixologist Kurt Schlechter. Added to these are the crowd-pleasing Collison’s Cosmo and the Fynbos, as well as a variety of other cocktail creations incorporating interesting recipes and a host of fresh, readily available ingredients.
