Fable brings the magic to moonshine with intricate cocktail creations

The idea of using original cocktails to show off local myths and legends led Raoul Goetze, a Cape Town tattoo artist, to make characters for each myth and legend. His captivating images can be seen on the walls of the bar and even on the bartenders’ biceps.

At this one-of-a-kind cocktail lounge, the layered creations have been developed in tandem with local fables, and each has been through numerous iterations before it was deemed ‘perfect’.

Like the fable on which it is based, each drink unfolds in four parts over four seasons. Each new iteration enhances and adds complexity to the original while hinting at what’s to come.

The kronendal lovers, fable’s top-seller, accounts for half of all cocktail orders.

The cocktail, made with Roku Japanese gin, elderflower, cucumber, citrus and soda, comes with a glitter-dipped paintbrush balanced on the glass’s rim.

Yes, it’s visually captivating, with glitter swirling cosmically with every stir, but it is also a refreshing, layered and perfectly balanced concoction.

Josh wanted to create a space for a younger, more upbeat crowd to experience the flavours on offer, rather than the stiff service and staid atmosphere that can pervade South Africa’s hospitality industry.

When Cape Town’s finest DJs hit the decks and fable’s bartenders start lining up tumblers to prepare orders of the trickster (Jim Beam bourbon, red grape, coconut, citrus, and mint), the flying dutchman (Cruxland gin, winter melon, green apple, prosecco, citrus, and dill oil), the adamaster (Tanqueray No. 10 gin, litchi cordial, dry vermouth, salted aloe) or any of the five signature cocktails – the prospect of a good time is secured.