BEST COCKTAIL BARS JOHANNESBURG

Sin+Tax, ranked 81st on World's 50 Best Bars 2024, represents Johannesburg's premier speakeasy-style cocktail destination in Rosebank. Accessed through Coalition pizza restaurant via a tap on a metal door, the intimate venue features a redesigned courtyard hidden in a graffiti-strewn alley. Inside, low-lit spaces showcase a blue-tiled bar and leather seating, creating an exclusive yet welcoming atmosphere. The seasonal menu emphasizes innovation with house-made syrups and locally inspired ingredients, while maintaining respect for classic cocktails. Sin+Tax stands out for offering world-class mixology without pretension, making it a beacon for discerning cocktail enthusiasts across Africa.

Marble is a premium fine dining establishment in Rosebank featuring a distinctive open-fire cooking experience with its centerpiece wood-fired grill imported from Michigan. Beyond the theatrical kitchen, the upscale bar offers expertly mixed cocktails with local inspiration, including rooibos-infused tequila margaritas and smoke-themed drinks developed by head bartender George Hunter. The contemporary setting combines panoramic views extending to the Magaliesburg mountains with craft beverages, flame-inspired tapas, and a curated wine selection spanning approximately 100 local and international labels.

MIX Cocktail Bar is a sophisticated venue on the second floor of Trumpet on Keyes in Rosebank, showcasing floor-to-ceiling windows, striking jade marble bar design, and regularly changing South African contemporary art installations. Located within Mesh members' club, the bar features artfully crafted cocktails with creative twists on classics, such as a Net Nou Nie Negroni with sour figs and vanilla-infused Palama, accompanied by stylish small plates. The space emphasizes the convergence of music, art, and cocktails, hosting weekly Jazz Club Sessions and regular themed events while maintaining openness to non-members from 4:00 PM.

Sin+Tax is Johannesburg's original speakeasy-style mixologist-led cocktail bar and the only African bar ranked in the World's 50 Best Bars' top 100, located in Rosebank. Accessed through Coalition pizza restaurant via a hidden metal door, the intimate space features low-lit ambient lighting, a blue-tiled bar, and low-slung leather couches. The seasonal menu showcases flavor-centric cocktail combinations using house-made syrups and locally inspired ingredients while respecting classic preparations, delivered without pretension yet with international standards of quality and innovation.

The Anti Social Social Club is a vibrant cocktail venue at the corner of 7th Street and 3rd Avenue in Melville, Johannesburg, distinguished by its millennial pink exterior and tropical Pacific Ocean aesthetic. Co-owned and operated by bartender Alex Szabo, the laidback establishment serves a light pan-Asian food menu including tuna tataki, Vietnamese rice paper rolls, and sticky hoisin glazed pork belly bao sliders. The cocktail menu emphasizes Far Eastern flavors featuring ginger, lychee, lemongrass, and lime, creating a beach-bar atmosphere in the heart of Melville's party strip, open Wednesday to Sunday.

Zioux is an ultra-luxury champagne bar and fine dining restaurant in Sandton, Johannesburg, created by renowned chef David Higgs to redefine contemporary luxury. The 400-square-meter venue features an illuminated onyx marble bar, African art nouveau-inspired interiors with leopard-print lion-claw stools, and animal-print artwork. The sophisticated cocktail menu includes signature drinks like 'The Agua de Me-hee-ko' (blanco tequila, orgeat, lime, horchata, mango, habanero tincture, peach bitters), paired with a Latino-inspired sharing menu curated by Higgs and his team, earning a prestigious one-star Eat Out Woolworths award.