Everyone loves to discover the next big thing before everyone else.

You know, that sweet feeling when a musician you’ve been telling friends about suddenly blows up, and you can smugly say you knew about them before they were a big deal.

Well done.

The same is true for restaurants and bars, so consider this your chance to get a foot in the door before the rest of Cape Town.

We’re talking about Founders’ Lounge Bar, by award-winning mixologist Andrew Copsey (above), at Cartel House. He’s kind of a big deal, given that he has designed and mixed cocktails at the Oscars, Cannes Film Festival, Monaco Grand Prix, Wimbledon, and Royal Ascot, amongst others.

Officially launching on March 28 (that’s this Thursday), and located at The Mezzanine at 113 Loop Street, the Founders’ Lounge Bar brings you a drinking experience like no other in Cape Town.

Passionate about cultivating authentic and innovative drinking experiences and challenging paradigms of what cocktails are and how they are consumed, Andrew invites guests to discover the craft element of the Founders’ Lounge Bar’s offering.

Having worked with legendary bartender Sasha Petraske, founder of the popular trendsetting speakeasy, Milk & Honey, Andrew employs a blend of traditional and innovative processes in designing and preparing drinks, spending days creating artisan-made cordials and infusions, marrying cutting edge techniques with incredible flavours.

They look good, which is great for a little Instagram shot, but the proof is in the tasting.

“The ethos at the Founders’ Lounge Bar is to break new ground with our guests and to explore spirits and flavours they wouldn’t normally try, in stylish, comfortable surroundings paired with excellent service,” says Andrew.

The Founders’ Lounge Bar is also available to hire for private poker evenings with a difference. With a poker table for up to eight guests, a dedicated croupier, and an accomplished mixologist and sommelier, who will be serving up exceptional drinks from the Founders’ Lounge Bar menu, a private poker evening will go down very well.

Sure beats the game you try and run at home, where somebody ends up arguing about how the cards were dealt and leaves in a huff.

Also, this may be perfect for a smaller, refined bachelor party, with some of the late-night bar stops within walking distance.

To get involved, join Andrew and the Cartel House team every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, from 4PM until midnight, for a journey through flavour and innovation.

You can book your table now right here, or get started on planning a private poker evening here.

The Founders’ Lounge Bar is brought to you by the team behind the Inner City Ideas Cartel, who offer the city’s finest co-working office spaces.

Added bonus – all of their Cape Town CBD-based locations avoid load shedding.

For those who enjoy the finer things in life, Cartel House is the ultimate members’ club for founders, funders and freethinkers, providing curated spaces for members to meet, work, work out and unwind.

See you Thursday for some midweek drinks, because we all know we’ll be needing a few four days into this week.