Exciting news for cocktail lovers! The AJABU Cocktail & Spirits Festival is coming to Johannesburg and Cape Town this week.
WORDS Jo Buitendach PHOTOS Supplied
The festival will bring together 10 international bars and 10 of Africa’s finest, all crafting extraordinary cocktails that showcase innovation, culture, and world-class mixology. ‘Ajabu’ is a Swahili word that means amazing, miraculous, fantastic, wondrous, and incredible — a perfect reflection of this one-of-a-kind event.
This exciting festival was founded by Colin Asare-Appiah and Mark Talbot Holmes. Colin, born in Ghana and raised in London, is a pioneering force and trendsetter in the cocktail and spirits industry. He also co-authored the book Black Mixcellence: A Comprehensive Guide to Black Mixology with Tamika Hall. Mark Talbot Holmes is the founder of the award-winning U’Luvka Vodka. Together, their shared vision is to create a platform for the African hospitality industry, fostering innovation, collaboration, and creativity, all while celebrating the continent’s incredible people and drinks.
The event takes place at some of the top cocktail spots in both the Mother City and the City of Gold. It includes signature cocktails, guest shifts, and mashups where global, African, and local bartenders work side by side. There will also be informative seminars, including a ‘Deep Dive into Agave’, as well as talks on empowering women in the bar industry and the art of upcycling ingredients.
Participating watering holes in Jozi include Sin+Tax, Smoking Kills, Obscura, and Saint, while in Cape Town, you can visit Fable, Talking to Strangers, Kloof Street House, Cause/Effect, Bascule, Yatai, The Drinkery, Tjing Tjing, and House of Machines.
VISI Magazine was, of course, at the Johannesburg launch at Sin+Tax and had the chance to sample many of the festival’s signature cocktails. These included the ‘Pornstar Martini’, a sweet blend of Tonka Bean Vodka, passionfruit, and Pet-Nat, a natural sparkling wine, as well as the cocktail of the moment, a Paloma made with tequila, grapefruit, vanilla, pink peppercorn, and lime. But hands down, the winner of the night was the Forest Gimlet, a twist on the classic, featuring gin, green melon cordial, and olives
The AJABU Cocktail and Spirits Festival takes place from March 9th to 12th in Johannesburg and March 12th to 16th In Cape Town. For more details and for tickets visit ajabufestival.com
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