Bestselling drink? The Spice Rack is a modern Bloody Mary made with biltong-infused vodka. The biltong is made on the premises, first marinated in a wine barrel, then cured in the curing room for five days.
Barman’s cocktail: 8/10 De Lorenzo served me the smoke-infused signature house cocktail, The Yellow Train, presented in a brown medicine bottle on a wooden plank. The combination of Bulleit Bourbon, Martini Rosso and Aperol is given a tropical twist with banana liqueur, and mellowed by the barrel ageing.
Barman’s personality: Engaging De Lorenzo is a passionate mixologist, and with his wide knowledge about the business, is easily able to recommend the right cocktail every time.
in search of the perfect cocktail
The Potato Shed
Where cocktails are made with a period twist
Maira Koutsoudakis and her team at Life interiors have converted the original Joburg market potato sheds into a welcoming and nostalgic restaurant and bar just north of the Market Theatre in Newtown. With more than a passing nod to the 1911 origins of the space, The Potato Shed gleams with polished copper and brass, warm wood and leather. Dom and Dom from Molecular Bars developed the “Bill of Beverages”, which includes craft and draught beers, artisanal gin, and even Moonshine for those who wish to step back in time!
Dom de Lorenzo was behind the bar when I visited The Potato Shed, and explained to me that the cocktails have all been created with a period twist, using spirits that would have been available at the time. They imagined the market workers having a long refreshing drink after a hard day’s labour heaving potatoes onto the trains. A range of small bites make tasty bar snacks, including Fries 4 Ways, Newtown Wors and Coal Fired Jalapeño Poppers.
The Potato Shed serves both keg and barrel-aged cocktails. The keg cocktails are on tap, drawn from a wooden beer keg, with names like Rolling Thunder and Tracks of Hope. The barrel-aged cocktails are all pure spirit-based classics with a modern twist. Aged in a brandy barrel for two weeks, 1911 and Steam & Coal are evocative of the era.
Bestselling drink? The Spice Rack is a modern Bloody Mary made with biltong-infused vodka. The biltong is made on the premises, first marinated in a wine barrel, then cured in the curing room for five days.
Barman’s cocktail: 8/10 De Lorenzo served me the smoke-infused signature house cocktail, The Yellow Train, presented in a brown medicine bottle on a wooden plank. The combination of Bulleit Bourbon, Martini Rosso and Aperol is given a tropical twist with banana liqueur, and mellowed by the barrel ageing.
Barman’s personality: Engaging De Lorenzo is a passionate mixologist, and with his wide knowledge about the business, is easily able to recommend the right cocktail every time.
Image: Annalize Nel
Mon – Thurs 10AM – 10PM and Friday to Sunday 10AM – 12PM
Newtown Junction, Cnr Carr and Miriam Makeba St, Johannesburg
010 590 6133.
thepotatoshed.com
MARCH 2016