After three incredibly amazing days, the Nairobi Cocktail Festival came to an end in a magnificent way on Sunday 1st December 2019. The festival which took place at Dari Restaurant in Karen and organized by EatOut and Baraka Events, had an attendance of over three thousand guests, making it one of Nairobi’s most successful events of the year. Dari Restaurant’s set-up was eye-catching, with blogger Susan Mukami commenting, “This is one of the most Instagrammable set-ups I’ve seen in 2019.”
With top alcoholic beverage brands such as Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Bacardi Martini and Hendrick’s Gin serving innovative cocktails, sentiments from attendees were positive. Despite the rain, people still had a good time enjoying cocktails, with The Staircase from Bacardi Martini, The Refresher from Skyy Vodka and The Don Julio la Primavera ranked as some of the best. For those who wanted non-alcoholic drinks or something different for the palate, Coca Cola were on site as well, as The Berry Company had people flocking to try their berry juice-infused cocktails. Food was also in plenty with the likes of Brown’s Cheese, German Sausage, Healthy U and Zucchini serving hungry revellers as they toasted to the likes of Takamaka and Monkey Shoulder cocktails.
Photo by Lindsay Kaziga
The Jack Daniel’s exclusive masterclass and gourmet food experience was also a major highlight. The gin masterclass by Tanqueray and the rum masterclass by Diageo had the VIP guests engrossed while learning about different aspects of their favourite drinks.
For the three days, there were some interesting surprises for the attendees as EatOut and Baraka Events went all out. What captivated most people at the Nairobi Cocktail Festival were the fireworks and the enchanting live quartet especially on Saturday as the rain hit. Music from DJ Papa, DJ Dino, DJ Taio, DJ Beng Beng and DJ Feischer was a welcome ingredient that saw people dancing away November and welcoming December.
Photo by Lindsay Kaziga
Transport to and from Dari Restaurant wasn’t a problem as Little Cab took the pain away with a Ksh 250 off on cab rides. VIP and VVIP guests got special codes that had them enjoy the rides free.
The Nairobi Cocktail Festival 2019 was a wonderful experience and it was just but a tease for more fantastic ones to come.
