Salvador is about to get a cocktail week of its own. The first Salvador Cocktail Festival runs from November 10 to 16, 2026 in the capital of Bahia, with more than 40 participating bars from Brazil and abroad, a week of guest shifts and a two-day professional conference in the city’s Historic Center.
The festival is organized by Purgatório, the Salvador cocktail bar that is part of Grupo RED, and run by its founders Peu Magalhães, Jonatan Albuquerque and Iryna Podusovska. Their aim is to put the city’s growing bar scene in front of an international audience while keeping it anchored in local identity. “We want people who come to Salvador to be able to taste Bahia and also to get to know Bahia a little better,” said Albuquerque, the festival’s creative director.
The visiting lineup is strong. From abroad come Drink Kong from Rome, Alquímico and Carmen from Colombia, Código 86 from Quito and CoChinChina from Buenos Aires. Brazil is represented by SubAstor, Fifty Fifty, Shiro, Nosso in Ipanema and Caledônia, among others. A delegation from Africa joins them, including Chris Beaney and Brian Owango, the Academy Chairs for West Africa and East Africa for The 50 Best Bars, plus bartenders and industry figures from Ghana and Kenya such as Seraphine Afladey, Tapatheo Nyamekye, Elvis Ombongi and Kelvin Angoya. In a city so shaped by its African heritage, that exchange carries extra weight.
The week opens with visits to local producers, food experiences and tours for international guests. On November 12, Purgatório marks its fourth anniversary with guest shifts from bartenders of several countries, and on November 13 the guest bartenders spread out to bars and restaurants all over the city.
The heart of the festival is the Historic Center, around Rua Chile and Rua Tira-Chapéu, with tasting spaces, guest bars, food and music spilling into the streets. On November 15 and 16, the historic Palacete Tira Chapéu hosts the conference: seminars, panels and tastings covering cocktail history, how cachaça is made, where drinking habits are heading, how menus are built, and regional ingredients and spirits from many countries.
Bahia itself is the main theme. Expect tropical fruit, cacao, coffee, coconut, licuri, honey and regional cachaças in the glass, along with chances to meet the people who produce them, and a program that draws on Salvador’s Afro-Brazilian music, food and culture. A food donation drive will support a local social organization.
For Magalhães, the festival “is more than a succession of parties, we want to create a week of exchange.” It is supported by the Government of the State of Bahia, SEBRAE, Campari, Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Jägermeister and Perrier, among other institutions and brands.
