RAISING THE BAR
Top local and global mixologists shake things up at the Ajabu Cocktail & Spirits Festival, writes Julia Freemantle
The Ajabu Cocktail & Spirits Festival kicked off last week in Joburg, before heading to Cape Town last weekend. The first of its kind, Ajabu brought together bartenders from some of the world’s best bars to connect, create and collaborate on a new methodology in cocktail making. Bartenders for this inaugural iteration travelled from New York, Miami, London, Las Vegas, Washington DC, Accra and Nairobi to get behind the bar with a selection of South Africa’s top mixologists.
Co-founder and driving force behind Ajabu is Colin Asare-Appiah, the Ghana-born Londoner who now lives in New York, where he consults to several city bars and liquor brands. Named Bar World 100 Most Influential Figures 2023, and co-author of Black Mixcellence, he’s been at the forefront of a growing mixology scene for more than 30 years. We caught up with him to find out more about what sets a good bar, and barman, apart. Plus, in a world where he’s mixed his fair share of drinks, what’s his go-to.
What makes a great bar?
Hospitality. All the great bars tend to have a great atmosphere, timelessness along with great drinks and food selection, but it’s the hospitality that sets them apart. It is how the team welcomes you at the entrance and takes care of you, and how they make you feel. The lasting impression they leave on you is what keeps you going back.
What makes a great cocktail?
Balance is at the core of a great cocktail. That perfect harmony of sweet and sour, bitter, salinity, temperature, and dilution are always important, along with the ceremony of crafting a cocktail in front of you, knowing it’s made for you with love and passion.
What’s your favourite cocktail to make? To drink? And why?
I have way too many cocktails I like for different reasons. My guilty pleasure is the Piña Colada; whenever you have it, you’re transported to a happy place.
What was your favourite cocktail on offer throughout the Ajabu festival, and why?
The collaboration between the local and international bars has generated some great new cocktails. All the variations of the PornStar Cocktail have been outstanding, with some other standouts using an array of sponsored spirits and a blend of local ingredients from the fynbos of the Western
Cape. All the cocktail menus at Ajabu also have a spirit-free option (mocktail) so that everyone can get involved.
What makes Ajabu different?
Ajabu’s core principles are based around connecting, collaborating, and celebrating the hospitality industry. Building the festival around connecting local bars with international bartenders and directing enthusiasts to these venues was the obvious place to start. The community lunches and education provide an opportunity for everyone to take part. It was International Women’s Day during the festival and Ajabu, through its scholarship programme, aims to provide as much opportunity as possible for women within the industry.
What are your hopes for the future of Ajabu?
As Ajabu Cocktail & Spirits Festival continues to grow, the hope is that we connect to the hospitality industry across the continent, but also across the globe, and provide the space for the next generation to grow.
In your words — two sentences that explain who you are.
We’re a cocktail and spirits festival aimed at connecting, celebrating, and growing the hospitality industry based around a series of collaborations between the best of the local and global industry. This is open to everyone who can attend in Joburg and Cape Town to experience and enjoy the craft of these top industry professionals.