replicaofPicasso’sfirsttobaccopipe
made from locally sourced, hand-reared
organicmilletfibres.
There’sdefinitelyaplayfulquality
tothedrinkdesignandpresentation
–thisisn’tanuncomfortable,austere
churchwhereasmileoralaughduring
thesermon,sorry,TheMakingofthe
Cocktail,earnsyouasternrebukeand
alengthyrosterofHailMarys.
Julian’s drinks are, without exception,
layered and addictive – splashed, shaken,
shivered,strainedclutchesofflavours,
muchlikethenotesofaperfume,all
dancingaroundthetentpoleofthe
alcoholatitsbase,creatingsomething
youwanttodrinkindeeplyandgreedily.
SpringtimeisForeveristhename
ofhissummermenu(anothersheepish
grin), “because in Joburg, spring
basicallylastsforabouttwodaysin
SeptemberandIjustwanttostretch
it out for as long as I can.” The menu
featuresabigemphasisongarden
produceandfresh,cleanflavours –
rhubarb, apple, peach.
Butthisisn’tamantohandyouafruit
juiceinafancyglass.Thebar’ssignature
drinkisTheNo.9–abeveragethat
rakishchefDavidHiggslikedsomuch,
he threatened to boycott Sin + Tax if it
wasevertakenoffthemenu;athreathe
followedthroughonwhenJuliandid
indeedremoveitforashortwhile.
TheNo.9isamasterpieceofinsanely
drinkablecomplexity.Andwatching
Julian make it is like watching one of
thoseinflatablebendymenthatflail
andtwirlonthesideofthehighway
–ablurofsnappingwristsandsharp
movements.Nothingismeasuredand
thereisn’tasinglepauseforbreathor
thought, yet out of this precise chaos
comesashortglasswithapictureof
FridaKahloattachedtotherimanda
deepreddrinkpouredoverice.Thefirst
tasterevealsflavoursthatareastounding
and unexpected. Vinegars (yes, you
read that correctly), smoky tequila and
pomegranateopenupawormhole
straight to shaded Mexican streets and
thedeepflavoursofhotsouthern-
hemisphere days. And that’s what a truly
greatcocktailcando.Hiddenbehind
adoor.Withnosign.Inanalley.
Nexttoaparkinglot.–JonoHall
4 Bolton Road, Parkwood, Randburg; sintaxbar.com
Clockwise from above left: The Lapu Tuak features The Botanist gin, coconut water, butterfly pea flower
and salted litchi; the Pinotage Boulevardier is made using Woodford Reserve Bourbon, Campari and
Antica Formula vermouth, aged in a Pinotage barrel; award-winning mixologist Julian Short.TOP SA BARSTASTE JAN/FEB 2019 91