By Gugulethu Tshabalala
Every bar menu tells the same story if you know how to read it. And right now, South Africa's menus are telling a very specific one: bitter Italian aperitifs, coffee in a martini glass, and a growing obsession with what local spirits can do when they stop imitating everyone else. Here's what's actually landing on tables this weekend.
The one everyone's ordering: Espresso Martini
This is the drink that quietly took over. It's now the dominant cocktail order at bars and restaurants across the country, sitting alongside the G&T and Negroni as SA's go-to. Vodka, fresh espresso and coffee liqueur, shaken hard until it builds that signature foam cap.
Bitter is the new black: Negroni & Aperol Spritz
Equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth, stirred and strained over one big block of ice. It's held the top spot at the world's best bars for four years running, and locally it's become the drink people order to signal they know exactly what they want.
SA twist: local gins like Inverroche, Six Dogs and Hope on Hopkins are turning this into a genuinely South African drink, with fynbos and Karoo botanicals doing work that imported gin never could.
Aperol Spritz
Aperol, Prosecco and a splash of soda, built over ice in a wine glass. Three ingredients, zero skill required, and that unmistakable orange glow that photographs itself. It's become the easiest way into aperitivo culture, which is exactly why it's everywhere.
SA twist: the reigning champion of Sunday sundowners and long lunches, made easier by the fact that a bottle of Aperol won't dent your wallet at any major liquor retailer.
Tequila's having a moment
Margarita (and its smoky cousin)
Tequila, lime and orange liqueur in a salt-rimmed glass remains the world's most ordered cocktail by volume, and premium tequila is growing faster than almost any other spirit category right now. The move at better bars is a Tommy's Margarita, agave syrup instead of triple sec, no salt.
Try this: swap tequila for mezcal and you've got a Smoky Margarita, one of the fastest-growing variations on menus this year.
Homegrown twists worth seeking out
Guava Mojito
The classic white rum, lime, mint and soda formula gets a local upgrade with fresh guava muddled in. It's the cocktail equivalent of putting boerewors on the braai instead of standard sausage: same idea, better result.
Amarula Springbokkie
Uniquely South African, and non-negotiable at any local gathering that's gone on long enough to need shooters. Built on Amarula, the creamy liqueur made from marula fruit, it's the closest thing local drinking culture has to a mascot.
And if you're skipping the alcohol
None of this requires drinking. Non-alcoholic spirits like Lyre's and Seedlip have made spirit-free versions of the Mojito and Aperol Spritz genuinely good rather than a sad consolation prize, and a Seedlip Garden with tonic holds its own against any classic G&T on the table.
