OnTap Magazine

T he Springbok pub in Newlands was one of Cape Town’s quirkiest, with tables in an old train carriage that seemed to shake whenever an actual commuter train passed by, causing patrons to grasp their pints for fear of spillage. Before it closed in 2019, the pub was probably best known for producing countless student hangovers. But it also has some longer lasting - and more fruitful - legacies. It was the site of Shackleton Brewing Company’s first brewery and taproom back in 2017; it hosted the first cask ale festival in South Africa, at least this side of the Anglo-Boer War. And it was the starting point for a man that would go on to become one of South Africa’s leading bartenders. When Joshua Hendricks started pulling pints at Springboks, he probably couldn’t have imagined it would one day lead to an all-expenses paid trip to Australia to compete in the world’s biggest bartending contest. He soon moved from Springboks to another southern suburbs institution, Pirates in Plumstead. It was here, between shifts, that he started reading up on the wider world of tending bar, beyond brandy and coke and the inevitable shots of Apple Sourz. EARLY SUCCESS “I was really interested in mixology but I didn’t know if anything was really happening in Cape Town,” says Joshua. “After working at Pirates for two years, I applied to work on a cruise ship and was all ready to go when Covid hit.” With his plans dashed, Joshua took his savings and invested in a bartending course. “It really opened doors for me, because I didn’t have any cocktail training at the time and wouldn’t have been able to get a job in the field without the qualification,” he says. He soon found a position at Rick’s Cafe Americain where he was given an education in classic cocktails. While working at Rick’s, Joshua was invited to participate in the 2021 Protege Competition. Organised by bartenders, the competition is designed to give newbie mixologists a leg up, pairing them with seasoned mentors. After attending a number of masterclasses, the mentees compete, with an overall winner eventually being selected. In 2021, that winner was Joshua. “The competition was held at Fable,” he says, “and straight away I knew I wanted to work there.” That goal would end up being realised but it would take a few months - and two other positions in Cape Town bars - before Joshua would install himself behind the bar at the Bree Street cocktail lounge. Fable’s cocktails are whimsical and creative - they’re served in Gucci bags (think upmarket papsak) or look like tubes of Airmune. Each cocktail is inspired by a tale from the Cape, with the menu changing every six months or so. “When we’re updating the menu, we all pitch in,” says Joshua. “We tend to start with a concept or a way to serve the drink and then look at which flavour profiles will work best.” JOURNEY TO THE TOP Joshua has thrived in Fable’s creative environment and shortly after starting there he began to prepare for the Diageo World Class Regionals, a competition open to anyone in the industry. The first challenge was to design a sustainable cocktail with a sense of community. Joshua partnered with a local bead craftsman to create a unique glass - fashioned from a Ketel One bottle once the vodka had been removed to use in the drink. The cocktail contained basil and watermelon with nothing thrown away once it was served.Watermelon rindswere candied to complement the cocktail, and anything leftover was composted. “There was literally no waste,” says Joshua. The creation took him to the regional final and while he didn’t win that round he still made it to the nationals, held in June of this year. Ten contestants from across the country battled it out in the national competition through three days of challenges. These covered everything from identifying ingredients and base spirits to designing a food and drink pairing and competing in a gruelling speed round, where contestants had to create 10 original cocktails in just eight minutes. “I just wanted to be in the top three,” says Joshua and indeed he made it into the Joshua Hendricks during the Homage Challenge at the 2022 World Class SA Nationals One of Joshua's cocktails in the "10 in 8" challenge Joshua prepares for the food pairing challenge at the national final 20 | Spring 2022 | ontapmag.co.za