Protea Fire & Ice Hotels create movement around G&T trend
With the classic gin and tonic (G&T) cocktail undergoing a worldwide renaissance, the trend has seen the development of flavoured craft gins, special cocktails, gin-themed events and dedicated bars. Protea Hotels' Fire & Ice Hotels in Cape Town and Gauteng have created an entire movement around the trend - the Over the Top Gin and Tonic (OTT G&T).
The three Fire & Ice properties (Cape Town, Menlyn and Melrose Arch) recently organised an internal OTT G&T competition among their bartending professionals to see who could produce the most inventive, delicious creation – resulting in each of the cities gaining an official OTT G&T recipe (and the winning bartenders scoring a prize). Visitors and fans of the hotels also stand a chance to win a cocktail by tagging a friend who needs an OTT G&T.
A special gin and tonic menu has been created for each of the hotels, featuring a selection of international and local craft gins and a range of premium tonic waters, along with the winning recipes.
Quick gin facts:
- Sales of gin are currently growing by 15% worldwide year-on-year.
- This is mirrored by a 12% growth in sales of tonic water, compared with an average 5% growth of other mixers.
- In South Africa there are more than 75 local gin brands produced by 50 local gin distillers.
