The first Nairobi Cocktail Festival took place the weekend of 1st and 2nd December and included 2 days of delicious cocktails at J’s Restaurant & Bar in Westlands. Yes, I attended both days, though I had planned to attend only one. I changed my mind after I quickly realized it was a challenge to sample 25 different cocktails over the course of one day. Yes, that’s right, 25! The concept was 25 different alcohol brands with setups where you could sample a cocktail. Once you sampled at one brand, you ticked it off the list and moved on to another.

Diageo Reserve World Class Kenya continued with its mission to shape the nation’s drinking experiences by ensuring its brands were at the heart of the action at the Nairobi Cocktail Festival. The festival was followed by a Cocktail Week where consumers will get to enjoy cocktail specials, free cocktails with meals and pitcher deals from 3rd to 9th December 2018.

The festival begun with a World Class invite-only secret garden launch on 30th November at J’s, where consumers got a glimpse of what’s to come. Since its launch in 2009, Diageo Reserve WORLD CLASS has been instrumental in transforming fine drinking and cocktail culture around the world. Diageo Reserve represents the luxury division of Diageo, and includes several brands under the luxury portfolio; namely Bulleit bourbon, The Singleton, Cîroc, Tanqueray 10, Don Julio, Johnnie Walker and Ketel One. The most talented mixologists came together to exhibit their unique takes on classic cocktail recipes.

To make sure I made the best of the weekend, I ate well, which was easy because Js has great and very filling meals. I also made sure to hydrate and pace myself, so getting there by latest 3pm everyday was important. The setup was beautiful and if you got there early, you could easily get a table to drink from. The Nairobi Cocktail Festival is definitely my favourite Nairobi based festival and I can’t wait for the 2019 edition. I did try all the cocktails, but 10 did stand out to me. This of course is subjective, but I put together a list of my top 10 favourite cocktails from the Nairobi Cocktail Festival.

1. Don Julio Paloma

Don Julio have perfected cocktail making. I had a chat with their global brand ambassador last year who took me through what it takes to make a fantastic Don Julio cocktail, and I am glad to say that the standards have been maintained. The Paloma is a balanced and delicious cocktail that was a big hit.

Ingredients:

50ml Don Julio Reposado

60ml fresh grapefruit juice

5ml vanilla syrup

100ml soda water

Garnish – crystallised grapefruit wedge

Glass – High Ball

2. Ketel One Espresso Martini

I will be honest, I had never had Ketel One before this festival, so this was a nice discovery. I also got to chat with the global brand ambassador to find out more about this vodka. I also got to take part in the masterclass for this vodka, and it was good fun. If you’re a fan of coffee like me, you will love this cocktail.

Ingredients:

45ml Ketel One

15ml homemade citrus/vanilla

Cinnamon liquer

15ml cane juice

30ml arabica espresso

Garnish – coffee beans

Glass – Martini

3. Vedrenne Cinnamon Fire

Sparkling wine cocktails are always a win and these ones were fantastic. Vedrenne had 4 fantastic cocktails on offer: Kir Royal, Eldeflower Kir, Alabama Slammer and Cinnamon Fire, and I enjoyed every one. My favourite however, was the Cinnamon Fire which I would say was the most unique cocktail at the festival – the chilli and cinnamon with the sparkling wine were stunning together.

Ingredients:

2cl cinnamon and chilly Vedrenne liquor

2cl Southern Comfort

3cl ginger soda

1.5cl lime juice

Glass – champagne flute

4. St. Remy Apple & Ginger

I love my St. Remy and this cocktail is refreshing and balanced and I had it on both days because I liked it that much.

Ingredients:

50ml St Remy XO

40ml ginger alr

40ml apple juice

1 cinnamon stick

20ml lime juice

5. Cointreau Fizz

Is there such a thing as a bad Cointreau cocktail? If there is, I don’t want to know about it. This is a simple and refreshing cocktail and I loved it.

Ingredients:

50ml Cointreau

20ml lime juice

100ml sparkling water

6. The Singleton Fruity Scot

The name of this cocktail is spot on. It’s a fun, fruity cocktail that will leave you wanting more!

Ingredients:

40ml Singleton Tailfire

20ml fresh lemon juice

25ml white grape juice

10ml sugar syrup

10ml crème de mure

Garnish – blackcurrants

Glass – high ball

7. Grey Goose Cosmopolitan

Grey Goose is easily one of my favourite vodkas and with good reason. It’s a sipping vodka and perfect for cocktails. They kept it chill with a classy Cosmo.

Ingredients:

45ml Grey Goose

30ml cranberry juice

15ml Butler’s triple sec

Squeeze of lime

Garnish – orange zest

8. Martini Tonic

Martini is almost synonymous with cocktails and they had 2 offerings: Martini Zinzero and Martini Tonic. My favourite was the tonic – I loved how well the ingredients worked together. Very delicious.

Ingredients:

60ml Martini Bianco

Squeeze of ¼ orange wedge

Top up with Stoney

Garnish – orange slice

Served on ice

9. Monkey Shoulder Apes & Apples

There is a reason this is one of the best-selling whiskies in the world right now. I loved this cocktail – easy drinking especially if you’re not a big whisky drinker.

Ingredients:

45ml Monkey Shoulder

15ml Lime Juice

15ml Sugar Syrip

6 mint leaves

Top up with ginger ale

10. Tanqueray No. Ten Dill or No Dill

Tanqueray cocktails are always a winner and this is no different. It’s a unique cocktail but all the ingredients work together to create one of my favourite cocktails of the festival.

Ingredients:

50ml Tanqueray No. Ten Gin

25ml lemon juice

17.5ml elderflower syrup

20ml cucumber water

2 sprigs of dill (one is garnish)

1 pinch smoked salt

Glass – Martini

Bonus

11. Hendrick’s Botanical Gin Tonic

I am not the biggest gin drinker, but Hendrick’s has quickly become one of my favourite drinks. This cocktail is refreshing and understated and I can see myself having this quite often.

Ingredients:

30ml Hendrick’s Gin

1 cucumber ice cube

1 rose flower ice cube

60ml tonic water

Garnish – orange slice

mwendeFood and TravelJ's Bar,Ketel One,Nairobi Cocktail Festival
The first Nairobi Cocktail Festival took place the weekend of 1st and 2nd December and included 2 days of delicious cocktails at J’s Restaurant & Bar in Westlands. Yes, I attended both days, though I had planned to attend only one. I changed my mind after I quickly realized...