The uptake of the modern brandy cocktail continues apace with that unstoppable juggernaut, the Urban Brandy Cocktail Route, now proudly announcing its national expansion.
Defined as the ‘ultimate cocktail route’, the route presents the perfect opportunity to appreciate one of SA’s top-selling spirits in its more contemporary cocktail form, and places this iconic local elixir where it truly belongs – firmly in the spotlight.
The route initially launched in Cape Town in March 2013 with a listing of 5 city-based hotspots, and has now expanded to include venues located in farther flung reaches of the city, including popular tourist hubs Hout Bay and Blouberg. Excitingly, new routes are also being established in both Johannesburg and Durban, creating what appears to be an unmistakable ‘brandy cocktail movement’ that now sits at the heart of the current cocktail resurgence.
Venues across all cities will include the likes of popular restaurants, bars, nighttime hotspots and major luxury hotel groups (including African Pride, One&Only and Tsogo Sun) with each featuring a specially constructed menu of delectable cocktails, each with a premium SA brandy at its base.
The creative concept behind the Urban Brandy Cocktail Route (UBCR) was essentially the establishment of a modern extension of the popular R62 and Western Cape Brandy Routes – celebrating our renewed interest in inner-city environs, and presenting a truly fitting way to savour brandy as the base element of a taste-shaping cocktail creation.
Diners and visitors who’ve sampled the selection of cocktails along the route say they are ‘bowled over’ by these creations and consistently surprised by the extraordinary versatility of SA’s premium brandies. These acclaimed locally produced brandies step into the global spotlight year after year to scoop international glory, often hailed as the best on the planet for their outstanding quality.
The selection of brandy cocktails available on menu’s at UBCR venues are all crafted using modern techniques and unique flavour combinations, offering revelers a new way to explore the versatility of brandy and, of course, injecting a little of the holiday spirit into every glass.
Christelle Reade-Jahn of the SA Brandy Foundation says, “The popularity of the UBCR continues to delight us! The support and excitement for culinary cocktail creations has introduced South African premium brandies to a whole new generation of consumers. Our quality brandies have inspired several of the top mixologists and bartenders to develop unique signature cocktails for their venues.”
The UBCR era has begun! We’ll toast to that!
Cocktail lovers are invited to join the Urban Brandy Cocktail Route Facebook page and follow exciting new developments on Twitter.
