This month saw the annual SA Cocktail Week kick off, showcasing the vibrant local cocktail community within Cape Town. This year’s event saw 10 of Cape Town’s top cocktail venues go head to head in the spirit of winning the best in categories with the first ever SA Cocktail Week Awards.
In the heart of the city center, Taj Cape Town’s Twankey Bar, run by one of South Africa’s leading barmen – multi-award-winning mixologist AJ Snetler – won three of the top awards including Most Loved Cocktail Bar, Best Signature Cocktail and the sought after Top Bartender prize.
A visit to The Twankey Bar is much like stepping back in time to America in the twenties, when secret saloons oozed smooth jazz, with mood lighting, dark woods and deep burgundy booths. As someone completely in love with the history of drinks, and with slow and precise cocktail creation, I knew this was the place for me as soon as I walked through the door and I am proud of the awards we achieved this past week. – AJ Snetler.
Snetler’s skills have taken him on quite a journey. Moving to Cape Town in 2015, he opened Drop Kick Murphy’s on the Mother City’s bustling Kloof Street and then moved to Orphanage in 2016. Taj Cape Town approached the cocktail king in the same year and Snetler relaunched The Twankey Bar in November 2016 as head mixologist.
