The AMAZING Art Of Duplicity

The Art Of Duplicity – a phrase that is becoming more and more popular with folks in the Cape, and a place that is filled with mystery, intrigue and good times.

I’d heard murmurings about this secret bar in Cape Town long before I saw an article pop up stating that this secret venue was the winner of the 2020 Cocktail Bar of the Year Award by the South African Bartending Accolades and Recognition Awards.

The Art Of Duplicity has not only kept it’s location a complete secret, it has done so while somehow becoming one of the most well-known bars in the country – and now the world, thanks to it placing 121 in the top 500 bars IN THE WORLD!

You’ll never find the address for The Art Of Duplicity published online, and guests discover the bar through word of mouth. In fact, you need to make a booking to visit the bar, and through this you’ll not only receive the password to enter on the night (in classic ‘speakeasy’ style, you whisper a secret password through a hatch in the door, and only then are given admission). You also receive riddles to solve on the whereabouts of the venue – and more excitingly, the doorman even tries to lead you astray, pretending he knows nothing of which you speak!

The word ‘speakeasy’ was coined during Prohibition in the United States, as the sale of alcohol was illegal, and owners and bartenders would ask you to ‘speak easy’ about the place in public, or when inside so the police or any uninformed neighbors were not alerted.

I cannot tell you how much MORE intriguing The Art of Duplicity became to me, with South Africa having undergone it’s own form of Prohibition during the alcohol bans of the Covid-19 Lockdown. We’ve now been through a state of ZERO alcohol sales, and I’m pretty sure that the majority of South Africans have either made illegal alcohol at home, or purchased some under the radar from various sources. Obviously the bar did not operate in this historical way, but the theme just has so much more meaning for us now!

Regular cocktails are nowhere in sight – instead you’re in for a treat for every sense! Head bartender Brent Perremore, also known as ‘The Rabbit’, has worked in various Cape Town and London bars, and is an award winner himself – he received the Trailblazer of the Year Award in the same B.A.R. Awards, for his work at The Art Of Duplicity.

Once we managed to convince the doorman that we were genuine guests of The Art Of Duplicity, we were led into a walled-off alley strung with laundry, through the inside of a building and to the door with the infamous hatch. Here the doorman took a baseball bat to the door, and we whispered our password to the person on the other side. In we went – and our minds were completely blown!

The decor is exactly what you’d expect an old 1920’s speakeasy to look like – a back room of a house or store, with a secret bar and all the staff dressed to theme. There was a musician playing live jazz on the tiny stage, which added to the whole experience at The Art Of Duplicity (they apparently have fantastic jazz events too).

We were brought menus, as well as pretty glasses of sparkling water and a bowl of popcorn to our small table in the corner – the lighting is dim as the bar (obviously) has no windows, and very low lighting.

We allowed the lovely bar lady who served us to bring us each one of the most popular cocktails on the menu (we would go on to choose our own after this), and she surprised us with some VERY interesting drinks.

We enjoyed The Gilded Pear (Roku Japanese Gin, Triple 3 Pear Liqueur, Sweet White Vermouth, Yellow Chartreuse, Lemon Bitters) which was served in a beautiful gold-rimmed glass, topped with pear and gold leaf. Not for the fast-sippers, this is a strong cocktail, but at the same time so exceptionally delicate in flavour.

We also sipped on the Saigon Sideshow (Spiced Rum, Coconut Rum, Pineapple Juice, Tom Yum Cordial, Hibiscus Syrup, Guava), with a ping pong ball and pink glitter that offered a nod to the ping-pong shows in the east. We were a little concerned when she mentioned that it did also contain fish sauce (!!!), but all this added was an exotic saltiness to the cocktail. Surprisingly much more delicious than we had prepared ourselves for!

Nick then saw a cocktail named Fisticuffs In The Alley Behind The Bar (Courvoisier VSOP⁣, The Proper 12, Coffee Infused Stout Vermouth, Root Beer, Cointreau Oat Cream). It’s designed to look like a proper pint of Irish stout, AND it contains Conor McGregor’s Proper 12 whiskey, so once again, a nod to the Irish fighter. This one was insanely delicious, and Hubby was very happy with the whole presentation too.

I mentioned I was feeling like something whiskey based, but also with a bit of fun to it – and the bartender suggested Jolly Jumper And The Flamin Injuns (for the life of me I can’t find the ingredients list anywhere, but it was SUBLIME). This cocktails comes with a full show, in the form of LOTS of fire!

It’s a flamed cocktail that is mixed as you watch with fire pouring from one shaker to another, and the liquid is then poured into a glass bottle. Then served with a heat-proof (and beautiful) glass, it also came with a little tuille cookie on the side. I clapped like a delighted child as I watched the whole process.

I CANNOT describe how delicious this was – I obviously picked up the whiskey, along with some hints of apple and caramel, and all in the most perfect warm cocktail I could ever have imagined.

We had the most sensational time at The Art Of Duplicity, and raved about it SO much that my sister and her boyfriend have since been there too. We’ve both sworn that it’ll be the first place we book at, on our next trip to the Cape!