Capetonians, mark your calendars for 12 to 16 March if you love yourself some cocktails and spirits.
Sin+Tax, Smoking Kills, Saint, Obscura, Cause Effect, Kloof Street House, The Drinkery, Hacienda, Tjing Tjing, Fable, Talking to Strangers, House of Machines and ANTHM have all signed up to take part in the AJABU Cocktail and Spirits Festival for 2025.
AJABU is Africa’s first-ever bi-annual international cocktail and spirits festival.
It was created by Col Asare-Appiah - Bar World's 100 Most Influential Figures 2023 and co-author of Black Mixcellence - and Mark Talbot Holmes - the founder of multiple award-winning U’Luvka Vodka, with their mission to make AJABU the continent’s leading hospitality community gathering.
The duo also aims to connect the industry across Africa and beyond to inspire innovation, collaboration and creativity.
As a result, bartenders from some of the finest bars around the world are being flown into South Africa to participate.
Panda and Son (Edinburgh, Scotland), Tommy’s (San Francisco, USA), Front/Back and Soul Lounge (Accra, Ghana), Library Bar (Toronto, Canada), Hero (Nairobi, Kenya), Sips (Barcelona, Spain), NoMad’s Side Hustle (London, UK) and Atwater Cocktail Club (Montreal, Canada) are all set to work alongside the local bars mentioned above.
It's shaping up to be quite the drinks extravaganza.
Cocktail seminars and masterclasses
In addition to these collabs, a series of seminars and masterclasses for cocktail aficionados, bartenders, and beverage industry professionals alike will be hosted during the festival.
These seminars will be led by bartender and spirits industry stalwarts like Steve Olson (Del Maguey Mezcal and BAR Academy), Julio Bermejo (Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant), Simone Caporale (Sips), Kate Boushel (Atwater Cocktail Club and Winner of the 2024 Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award), Leo Robitschek (Side Hustle), Anna Sebastian (Celebrate Her and Tales of the Cocktail Committee Member), Amma Mensah (Reign Rum), Gareth Howells (Bacardi, Dewar’s) and more.
For more information about the festival, ticket details and how you can get involved, visit AJABU's official website HERE.
Thirsty? Check out our guide to the 14 best bars in Cape Town.