COCKTAILS GALORE AS THE KAMPALA COCKTAIL WEEK ENDS
(Posted 17th December 2015)
Kampala Cocktail Week, the biggest drinks festival in the region so far, came to grand close on the14th of December with an awards gala held at the Kampala Serena Hotel, to celebrate the success of the inaugural edition which was proudly sponsored by Uganda Waragi, the spirit of Uganda.
In a spirited 10 day period between the 03rd and the 12th of December which saw 15 top cocktail bars in Kampala serving their own celebrated Special Edition Cocktails with prices as low as 5,000 Uganda Shillings, did the Tamarai Restaurant in Kololo emerged as the People’s Choice Top Cocktail Bar for 2015 through a social media voting process in which they concluded the week with the highest rating of all at a 7.6 out of a possible 10.
The Sky Breeze Cocktail at Sky Lounge & Rooftop also emerged as the People’s Choice Best Cocktail of the Week in yet another social media driven activity. The creamy Smirnoff Vodka cocktail which blends elegantly with vanilla ice cream and Bailey’s Irish Cream is testament to the vast developments made this year in the local cocktail scene and guests didn’t hesitate to show their vast appreciation for this creation by Amos, Head Bartender at Sky Lounge.
In his closing remarks, Philip Kalibwani, Business Development Manager at The Pearl Guide Uganda, expressed warm appreciation to the 15 cocktail bars that invested time and creativity to give Kampala a memorable week long party as well as to the 6,000 guests who went out, tried new drinks and voted.
During the festival did Kampala Cocktail Week host a series of Signature Events such as The Smirnoff Gold Mile which took guests on a Party Bus Cocktail Tour through Kampala, The Luxury Charter boat sail which celebrated the bold new flavour of Uganda Waragi Coconut at one of Uganda’s most iconic holiday resorts, the Pineapple Bay and the Pimm’s Pitcher Perfect at Prunes which celebrated the mixology of drinks served in large volumes.
Kampala Cocktail Week also hosted guests to a Closed Shop Whisky and Food Pairing Experience at the Sheraton based House of Walker in a bid to popularise luxury whiskies. Diageo Master Bartender Raymond Endean visited Kampala during the week and conducted educational sessions on pleasurable whisky cocktail experience at Liquid Silk and Sky Lounge and summed up his activities at Mythos Greek Taverna where he held a DIY Cocktail Experience, getting guests behind the bar and teaching them how to make refreshing cocktails.
The Pearl Guide’s Kampala Cocktail Week promises an even bigger festival in 2016 with more bars, advance menus and nightlife experiences to remember. To catch with the photo galleries from Kampala Cocktail Week visit: https://www.facebook.com/klacocktailweek or follow the hashtag #KlaCocktailWeek on Twitter and Instagram.
