The Gin House is the city's most serious cocktail bar — a converted villa in upper Polana / lower Sommerschield with a long list of gins, a knowledgeable bar team and a quiet outdoor patio for cooler evenings. The menu favours a botanical, low-fuss style; the Negronis are particularly well made and the bar imports a couple of South African gins that are hard to find elsewhere in the city.
It is not cheap by Maputo standards — drinks come in at roughly the price of a London cocktail bar — but service is calm and the music is kept down. A good first stop for a quiet drink before dinner. Reservations not normally required.