The first edition runs from November 10 to 16, with a free street party on Rua Chile and a conference at the Palacete Tira-Chapéu
Salvador hosts the first edition of the Salvador Cocktail Festival from November 10 to 16, organized by the partners behind Purgatório, a Grupo Red bar in the capital of Bahia: Peu Magalhães, Jonatan Albuquerque and Iryna Podusovska. According to The Spirits Business, more than 40 bars are taking part, including venues from the city, other Brazilian states and abroad.
The highlight will be the free street party on the nights of November 14 and 15, on Rua Chile and around the Palacete Tira-Chapéu, in the Historic Center, with about 20 bars each night, bands, shows and a food court, according to the festival's official website and the newspaper Correio. On November 15 and 16, the palacete hosts the conference, the ticketed part of the event, with talks, panels, masterclasses and a spirits exhibitors' fair, with an area for small Brazilian producers. Topics include the history of cocktail culture, cachaça production and consumer trends, according to The Spirits Business.
Throughout the week, guest bartenders take over the counters of bars and restaurants across the city. Purgatório celebrates its fourth anniversary on the 12th, with a series of guest shifts, and on the 13th the visitors spread out across venues in Salvador.
International bars include Italy's Drink Kong, Colombia's Alquímico and Carmen, Ecuador's Código 86 and Argentina's CoChinChina. From Brazil, venues such as SubAstor, Fifty Fifty, Shiro, Nosso Ipanema and Caledônia take part. A delegation from Africa is also coming, with Chris Beaney and Brian Owango, who chair The World's 50 Best Bars academies for West Africa and East Africa, and bartenders from Ghana and Kenya.
The drinks are set to highlight local ingredients such as tropical fruits, cacao, coffee, coconut, licuri, honey, herbs and regional cachaças. The event will also include a food donation drive for a local social organization.
Sources: The Spirits Business (November 4, 2026), Correio (September 8, 2026), Salvador Cocktail Festival (2026).
