AJABU Cocktail & Spirits Festival

Festival Pass + Tasting Table Experience

Just want one? Tasting Table Experience, R250 · Festival Pass, from R150

Buy any AJABU ticket and you and a friend could win 5 nights in Goa, India.

Winner announced 14 November. T&Cs apply.

Half-price Porn Star Martinis. Every participating bar serves its own take for R86, all festival long.

A shot at Goa. Every Tasting Table Experience, Festival Pass and Combo ticket enters you and a friend into the draw for 5 nights in Goa in April 2027, courtesy of Paul John Whisky.

Free workshops. Sign up, learn from the bartenders behind the bar, how to make your favourite cocktails and take a few tricks home.

Pop-ups every night. Guest bartenders take over bars across the city in staggered slots, from early evening until late.

Just want one? Tasting Table Experience, R250 · Festival Pass, from R150

30+ of Cape Town's best bars. One wristband gets you into all of them.

Behind the bar this year:

Local legends and international guest bartenders, pouring side by side for one week only.

AFRICAN BARS

• Front Back (Accra, Ghana)
• ASANA Bar and Kitchen | Kempinski Hotel (Accra, Ghana)
• Tribeca Bar (Accra, Ghana)
• Kwarleyz Residence (Accra, Ghana)
• The Gathering (Lusaka, Zambia)
• Hero (Nairobi, Kenya)
• Bissa (Abijidan, Cote D’Ivoire)
• Togosa (Abijidan, Cote D’Ivoire)

JOZI GUESTS

• Obscura (Johannesburg)
• Smoking Kills (Johannesburg)
• Sin Tax (Johannesburg)
• The Muse Speakeasy (Bloemfontein)

INTERNATIONAL BARS

• Hotel Phoenix (Atlanta, USA) - Thandi Walton
• Bisou Bisou (Montreal, Canada) - Gregory Buda
• Williams & Graham (Denver, USA) - Sean Kenyon
• Mama Koko (Baltimore, USA) - Angola Selassie

Sat 14 Nov · Tasting Tables

Kick things off by meeting the creators with their 20+ craft spirit brands, enjoying mini cocktails, local food, live music and DJs at the European Bartender School in Woodstock.

Sat 14 Nov · The Goa draw: Tasting Experience at European Bartender School at 2 pm

Night one ends with one ticket holder and a friend packing for India.

14-22 Nov · 8 Nights of pop-ups and collaborations

Local brands and local bars collaborate and celebrate, and Guest bartenders take over bars across the city, in staggered slots from early evening until late.

All week · R86 Porn Star Martinis

Thirty-plus bars, thirty-plus takes on the cocktail imagined in Cape Town.

All week · Free workshops, Seminars and Masterclasses

Learn from the people behind the bar. Spaces are limited, so sign up early.

Sean Finter (Hospitality Coach) - The Business of Hospitality

Gregory Buda (Owner Bisou Bisou) - Building Successful Bar Teams

George Hunter (Owner Operator Obscura) - a Cocktail Masterclass at The Edition

Thandi Walton (Cocktail Maven) - Celebrate Her in the industry.

AND MORE!

Follow @ajabufestival for the full live line-up.

The world's favourite passion fruit cocktail was born from a night out in Cape Town.

In 2001, London bartender Douglas Ankrah was in Cape Town writing his cocktail book. The city inspired a passion fruit and vanilla martini with a shot of bubbles on the side, which he first called the Maverick Martini. Back in London he gave it a cheekier name, and the Porn Star Martini went on to become one of the most-ordered cocktails in the UK.

Twenty-five years later, it's back where it started. Every participating bar pours its own version for R86, so you can drink your way through Cape Town's best tributes.

Just want one? Tasting Table Experience, R250 · Festival Pass, from R150

The best festivals don't end when the last drink is poured. Spend a week on cocktails in Cape Town, then trade it for sun, sand and stillness on Goa's beaches in April 2027.

The prize includes:

Return flights and accommodation for 5 nights, for you and a friend

A Paul John Distillery Tour, where India's award-winning single malt is made, courtesy of Paul John Whisky

Excursions along Goa's coastline, complete with fresh seafood, spice-laden curries and flavours you won't forget

No extra steps, no forms. Buy a Tasting Table Experience, Festival Pass or Combo ticket and you're automatically entered.

🗓️ Winner announced 14 November at 2pm at The Tasting Experience at European Bartender School. It could be you.

T&Cs apply. Entrants must be 18+ and hold a valid passport.

Read the Goa competition terms and conditions (PDF)

Just want one? Tasting Table Experience, R250 · Festival Pass, from R150

Saturday 14 November | European Bartender School, 40 Woodlands Road, Woodstock

Choose your session: 11am to 2:30pm or 3:30pm to 7pm

Meet the makers before the festival begins.

• 20+ craft spirit brands under one roof, ready to pour
• Mini cocktails made with what you're tasting
• Cocktail masterclasses: learn to make your favourite cocktails with Roxy Read and witness the Hennessy My Way Championship
• DJs, entertainment and local food vendors to keep you going.
• 10% off at Liquor City online, so the bottle you loved can come home with you
• Automatic entry to ‘Win a trip to Goa, India’ competition

Just want one? Tasting Table Experience, R250 · Festival Pass, from R150

1. Get your ticket. Festival Pass, Tasting Tables, or both with the Combo.
2. Collect your festival pass. Scan the QR code from your confirmation email at an AJABU welcome desk.

   Pass collection: 12-21 November 2026

   • WOODSTOCK - EBS Cape Town
     Monday to Friday | 10:00 - 16:00
   • SEA POINT - Bokeh Bar
     Monday to Friday | 16:00 - 21:00
   • KLOOF STR - The Usual
     Monday to Saturday | 10:00 - 18:00
   • V&A - Cause Effect
     Monday to Sunday | 10:00 - 18:00
3. Plan your route. Each night, pop-ups run in staggered slots from early evening until late. Pick a few, move between them, and follow @ajabufestival for the live line-up.
4. Drink well. Try every bar's R86 Porn Star Martini, sign up for free workshops, and pace yourself: it's a week, not a night.

Leave the car at home. Bar-hopping is the whole point.

Between bars: Participating bars are spread across Cape Town, so book a ride between stops or plan a walking route through bars that are close together.
Tasting Table Experience: European Bartender School, 40 Woodlands Road, Woodstock.

Limited street parking. Don’t drink and drive, use an e-hailing service.

Accessibility: Wheelchair access to the entrance and bathroom.

Please drink responsibly and never drink and drive.

30+ bars. One pass. And a shot at Goa.

Choose your ticket and check out right here.

Ticket prices exclude Quicket booking fees.

T&Cs apply. Entrants must be 18+ and hold a valid passport.

Read the Goa competition terms and conditions (PDF)

Trouble loading tickets? Buy the Combo or Tasting Table on Quicket · Buy the Festival Pass on Quicket