It takes a lot to surprise a veteran cocktail appraiser, so you can imagine my pleasure when I picked up the cocktail menu at Cornuti in Knysna and my eyes moved over a completely fresh and bewildering combination of ingredients. I was skeptical. Basil, good. Fresh strawberries and cranberry juice, good. Vodka, a bonus. But all together? Basil normally finds its end in my pasta dishes and not wrapped around my swizzle stick, but alright, I’m on holiday so I’ll try it. I could not have been more pleasantly surprised. It was utterly salivary-gland-inducing delicious. The aromatic fresh basil played off nicely against the sweet fresh strawberry and as usual the cranberry was a winner. Complete with a sprig of fresh basil and a twist of black pepper, it was a culinary and aesthetic delight.
There were other newcomers to my cocktail repertoire on the menu, and I was truly tempted to try all of them. One of these is the curious mixture of pineapple and fresh ginger in a swanky twist of Bond’s favourite, Martini. A short but diverse list of cocktails and a creative handful of shooters, such as the Milktart (Condense milk, Amarula and a delicate dust of cinnamon), bedecked the menu. Another thing to mention is Cornuti’s has one of the most divine views, situated at the foot of the Knysna Heads with the sound of the waves lapping at their doorstep.
PS: Don’t tell your wallet that this one is going to hurt! Cornuti’s is sought after, so if you want to get a good view of the setting sun, get moving! It never really gets quiet there…
For info online visit: http://www.cornuti.co.za/web/
