Trending cocktail flavours can depend on many factors, like popular ingredients, cultural recipes or international influences. We’ve explored three African flavours and ingredients that are having their moment, and the classic spirits they go best with. Experiment with these flavours and consider adding more flavoursome cocktails to your menu.

Palm wine and rooibos are two African ingredients that have a sweetness to their flavour profiles. They are not used as sweeteners but can add to the complexity of a sweet cocktail with an African twist!  

Palm Wine – Palm wine is a popular alcohol in West Africa, prepared using the sap of palm trees. The flavour of palm wine can vary between sweet, fruity or sour, depending on the type of palm used, the fermentation process and where it’s produced.

Rooibos – Rooibos is a herbal tea grown only on the western coast of South Africa. With a slightly sweet, smoky and earthy taste, rooibos’ unique flavour and health benefits make it a popular tea of choice.

Any spirit can pair well with a sweeter flavour palate, but some work better due to their flavour profile or versatility.

• Try a unique twist on cocktails, like a with Tanqueray, using palm wine as a sour to bring a unique flavour to your cocktail.
• Due to the woody, smoky taste of rooibos, it pairs well with scotch whiskies because of their similar woody notes. Try elevating your whisky cocktails by pairing Johnnie Walker with rooibos.

Tamarind – Tamarind is a native African tropical fruit that grows in pods, with a sour, sweet and tangy flavour.

Bissap – Bissap, also known as zobo, sobolo or roselle juice is a beverage made from hibiscus flowers. It’s most popular in west Africa and has a zesty, tangy, floral taste.

• The sour-sweet flavour of Tamarind works well with savoury flavours like vodka. Try a Smirnoff and Tamarind Bloody Mary for an interesting twist on the classic cocktail.
• Or try pairing bissap with Tanqueray to highlight the botanicals in your gin cocktails.

Coffee – This ingredient really needs no explanation. Coffee is one of the most popular beverages internationally and has taken the bartending world by storm. Africa has some of the world’s major coffee-producing regions like Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda, so it’s no wonder that it’s made its way into our cocktails.

The popular espresso martini uses both the smooth texture of vodka and bold flavour of coffee. Create a rich, indulgent spin of the classic martini by pairing espresso with Smirnoff.

• Many trending African flavours are influenced by an appreciation for indigenous African ingredients.
• Trending African flavours have ingredients that include palm wine, rooibos, tamarind, coffee and bissap.
• Popular African flavour profiles include sweet, sour, rich and complex.

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