By Adam Bloodworth
Break out the tiny umbrellas, it’s time for London Cocktail Week. The award-winning festival is back for its 13th year, and bigger than ever. The concept is simple; buy a London Cocktail Week wristband for £15 and from 13 to 23 October it entitles you to attend non-ticketed events and purchase literally hundreds of tantalising cocktails from bars across the city for the special festival price of £7 each.
Since 2010, the festival has attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors to the capital’s bars, and injected millions into the nightlife economy. As it has developed, it has gained new features, such as master classes, product launches, and cocktail experiences, which this year pairs drinks with activities ranging from magic to fantastical under sea adventures. Hannah Sharman-Cox and Siobhan Payne, the co-founders and organisers of London Cocktail Week, first met while working at the cocktail bible ‘Difford’s Guide’.
Through more than a decade of tireless advocacy, they have grown the festival into the world’s largest celebration of mixed drinks. The duo are often featured in lists like Bar World’s 100 Most Influential People in the Industry, and the 100 Most Influential Women in Hospitality. Last year they ruffled some feathers when they were inducted into Keepers of the Quaich, a society recognising outstanding commitment to Scotch Whisky, for their role in promoting the use of Scotch whisky in (wait for it) mixed drinks.
When we spoke their enthusiasm was infectious. “We’re so proud that we continued to run London Cocktail Week as an in-person event in support of London’s bars for the last two years – albeit with restrictions. But it is incredibly exciting to be back at full scale this year!
“And whilst the bar industry is facing new challenges, London Cocktail Week is an opportunity to get new people engaged in our world – both in front of and behind the bar. Indeed, more bars have applied to be part of London Cocktail Week than ever before – and we’ve chosen 350 to partner with this year – which shows the appetite of venues to showcase what they do to a potentially new audience.
“For us, a really exciting part this year is bringing back the Cocktail Village element to the festival. We’ve reimagined these to better showcase the city as a whole and support the wider bar community by moving into four distinct areas with our ‘Little Cocktail Villages’.”
The Little Cocktail Villages are hubs, with pop-up bars, based in Belgravia, Borough Yards, Covent Garden, and Devonshire Square. Entry is free with a wristband, and all drinks are at festival prices. “These are absolutely the not-to-be missed part of the festival and with eleven days in our particular ‘week’ there’s the opportunity to go to all four! Our top tip – start your evening there and then go on to discover what the area has to offer.
“Beyond the £7 Signature Cocktails in our 350 partner bars, we also have a lot of the world’s best bartenders flying in to do takeover shifts – continuing our focus on education through experience rather than formal classroom settings.
The Best Bar in the World is flying in to do a takeover – that’s probably one not to be missed
“This includes the current Best Bar in the World (voted as such at last week’s Worlds 50 Best Bars) – Barcelona’s Paradiso, whose team are flying in on the first day of the festival to take over The Zetter Townhouse, Marylebone, on Thursday 13th. So, unless you’re planning a trip to Barcelona anytime soon – we think that’s probably one not to be missed.”
There’s some serious whisky tasting, with the oldest expression of Benriach to sample, and a red-blooded evening of beef and bluegrass with Yellowstone Select Bourbon, as well as Japanese flower arrangement with gin brand Ki No Bi Gin. The sustainable spirits company Discarded is hosting a disco where you can turn rubbish into art. For those with a sweet tooth, there is even the launch of a new line of luxury cocktail sorbets, from Xīn & Voltaire.
Whether you’re a newcomer to the cocktail scene or an old hand, one ticketed event sure to go down like a Manhattan after a long day is ‘60 Second Cocktails’, hosted by Joel Harrison and Neil Ridley, the resident drinks experts on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch. “It’s a super-fun blend of cocktail chat, three great drinks from our new book ‘60 Second Cocktails’, all curated with a special playlist of our favourite tracks; a good many of them under 60 seconds long,” promises Ridley.
So, book a place, learn the skills to mix speedy drinks at home, and you can enjoy cocktails long after Cocktail Week has ended.
London Cocktail Week is 13 – 23 October. Purchase a wristband online
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