This summer, Spearhead is bringing its unique flavor to NYC with a series of vibe-y gatherings at the Darling Rooftop atop midtown’s Park Lane Hotel. The soirees will feature a rotating selection of DJs spinning Afro House, Afrobeats, and amapiano tracks — the first of these goes down on June 10 from 7 p.m. till late, featuring sounds by DJ Tunez — RSVP here.

Okayplayer caught up with Spearhead Spirits co-founder, Damola, to find out more about Spearhead Spirits’ summer series and what’s coming up next for the brand.

Okayplayer: What’s the origin story of Spearhead Spirits and what’s your ultimate goal for the brand?

Damola: Spearhead Spirits is the premium African spirits company with the ambition of putting Africa on the world’s bar. Back in 2019, we realised that wherever we went, particularly outside of Africa, we saw spirits representing other regions, apart from our own continent. And then in Africa we were importing brands from other parts of the world rather than drinking products made at home. So we decided to change that, by creating vodka, gin, agave and whisky, made in Africa, using African ingredients, by Africans, for the world to enjoy.

What are your signature offerings and can you describe the African connections and ingredients in each of them?

We have created four brands in different spirits categories, Bayab Gin, Vusa Vodka, Sango Agave and Mansas Whisky, that all have African ingredients and provenance at their core. Bayab’s hero botanical is the baobab fruit from the famous African baobab tree, sourced from Ghana. Did you know that agave, the plant used to make tequila, also grows in Africa? We use that plant that grows in South Africa to create Sango Agave, we use local sugarcane to produce our vodka, and in our whisky, we have the incredible African grain, sorghum which makes our whisky truly African. We produce all of our products in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

How important is it for your brand to authentically speak to African Culture, and how does this residency at Park Lane Hotel in NYC speak to that?

It’s critical. We’ve built our brands to celebrate Africa in a way that’s modern, premium, and true to the continent’s creativity and culture, not a cliché version of it. This residency at Park Lane Hotel gives us a platform to bring African spirits, flavors, and culture into one of the world’s most iconic cities and share our vibrancy in the places where our culture belongs. It’s about showing that African brands can lead on any stage, with authenticity and style.

What can attendees expect from these Spearhead gatherings going down at Darling Rooftop this summer?

Expect amazing energy. The vibes. Afrobeats, Afro House, amapiano, the best of our music today, and our cocktails too. We’re bringing modern African cocktail culture to the best rooftop in New York, with the best view of the city. The skyline hits different from up here, you’ll see. And yes, there might just be a few surprises in store for those who join us.

Finally, what’s up next for Spearhead this year? Any other major activations, launches or experiences we can look out for?

We’ve got a big year ahead. Our brands are already well-loved across Africa. You’ll find people enjoying them in South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya, and we’re continuing to grow globally. Look out for Bayab Gin in the U.S. this summer, especially our African palm and pineapple flavor, which is about to be everywhere, and our orange and marula flavor that’s perfect for negroni season this fall. Sango African Agave is also making waves as the new alternative to tequila. At the same time, we’re working with some incredible bartenders and mixologists across the continent to keep pushing African cocktail culture forward, both at home and internationally. And we’re always open to collaboration. If you’re a brand or creative doing your own thing and looking for an African spirits partner, get in touch. We love working with people who are moving culture.