On your marks, get set, go to London Cocktail Week!

It’s a no-brainer what we’ll be up to from 6th to 12th October, haven’t you heard? It’s London Cocktail Week. Clear your diaries, get your ‘research’ heads in gear and crank your good times dial up to the max.

First things first: if you haven’t signed up for your wristband, do it now. These l’il babies are your passport for some of the finest cocktails you’ll ever try for £4. Seriously, that’s about the same price as a bog-standard pint of beer (and we know what we’d rather be quaffing…)

So, wristbands, that’s the easy part. Choosing which of the 250 participating bars you want to visit might prove a
little trickier. Do yourself a favour and take this opportunity to check off those bars on your must-visit list,
venturing to the south one night instead of sticking to the East perhaps, or finding out how they do things in the City rather than staying in Soho for your after work drinks. Whether you mix it up or choose to stay local, you’re in for a treat. But remember folks, it ain’t a competition to see how many cocktails you can fit into an evening, always drink responsibly.

For wristbands, details of participating bars, activities and events, see londoncocktailweek.com

The hubs

All four hubs are pick-up points for your wristbands but have an individual vibe and signature cocktails on offer as well.

Ketel One Hub, Seven Dials
9 Earlham St, WC2H 9LL
Ketel One Brand Ambassador David Beatty will be on hand to guide you through the perfect Bloody Mary with fresh fruits, herbs and spices from the ‘vegetable market’. Downstairs discover the Zacapa Above The Clouds.

Cointreau Hub at Bluebird
350 King’s Road, SW3 5UU
Collect your wristbands in the Cointreau Fizz Garden in the courtyard, then pop upstairs to the bar for a Cointreau Fizz.

Tanqueray No. TEN Hub, Spitalfields
Marks’ Bar, Hixter, Devonshire Square, EC2M 4YN
1920s glamour with live bands, flapper dancers and exclusive gin and pairing dinners. On the menu: Tanqueray
Autumnal Orchard cocktail.

The Whisky Exchange Shop at Vinopolis
1 Bank End, SE1 9BU
The one for whisky buffs with samplings all week.

The highlights

For competition winners doing things their way:
On Monkey’s Shoulder
9 Shorts Gardens, WC2H 9AT
The winning team of Monkey Shoulder’s Ultimate Bartender
Challenge host this pop-up bar as their prize.

For Martini maestros and misses:
Sipsmith 100 Martini
29 Kettner’s, 29 Romilly St, W1D 5HP
Try at least one of 100 Martinis in these two hour seated sessions (£15).

For innovation at its best:
Hendrick’s Bone Shaker Cocktail Bar
Lower ground floor, 36 Earlham Street, WC2H 9LH
Hendrick’s cocktails shaken to perfection courtesy of the world’s first pedal-powered cocktail maker.

For top-tips for healthy drinking:
Belvedere Presents: Drink, Eat, Live
22 Thomas Neal Centre, WC2H 9LD
Delicious cocktails made with your sugar intake in mind, from Claire and Ali, the lovely ladies at Belvedere.

For a slice of Americana:
Bulleit Bourbon Diner
London Cocktail Club, 224a Shaftesbury Ave, WC2H 8EB
Roller-skating waitresses, 1950s tunes pumping from a jukebox, classic American diner dishes plus bourbon hard shakes.

For the best G&Ts – ever!
See London Cocktail Week website for meeting points
Enjoy a different G&T in five bars, each showcasing Fever-Tree’s tonics with a number of premium gins, including Whitley Neill.

For cocktails from a cab:
The Tipple Taxi
Middle Yard, Camden Lock, NW1 8B
Enjoy cocktails based on Camden-made Half Hitch Gin, as well as el Jimador Tequila and Santa Terese Rum from a mobile bar in a classic London taxi.

For Tiki lovers:
NOLA vs NOLA: Tiki Takes Over!
1st floor, 68 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY
Love Tiki? Then don’t miss Jeff ‘Beachbum’ Berry’s special cocktail featuring Bittermens and El Dorado rum. Come judge the cocktails created by bartenders from New Orleans and the bar team from NOLA in London, with a new theme running throughout London Cocktail Week – the perfect excuse to go every day!

For floating like beautiful butterflies:
Angostura Butterfly House
31 New Inn Yard, EC2A 3EY
Find out how butterflies and Angostura rum come together at this lavish recreation of a butterfly house. Featuring tastings with Angostura Master Distiller, the opportunity to press your own sugar cane juice and make cocktails with Global Ambassador Mike Tomasic, plus talks and cocktail-making at home from yours truly.

For sweet treats, spice and rum:
The Spice is Right!
Barrio Central, 6 Poland St, W1F 8PS
Talking Pink Pigeon rum, spices and cocktail pastilles with Peter Holland, Pritesh Mody and Smith & Sinclair.

For a bit of posh:
Belvedere Luxe List
China Tang at The Dorchester, Cartizze Bar, Maze at Gordon Ramsay and The Donovan Bar at Brown’s Hotel offer classy cocktails for £8, all featuring premium Belvedere Vodka.

For record breakers:
The World’s Largest Rum Tasting
ILEC Conference Centre, Earl’ Court, 47 Lillie Rd, SW6 1UD
Calling all rum fans: be part of the world’s largest rum tasting and get yourself in the Guinness Book of Records. Join esteemed rum blenders and distillers in this one-off event which kicks off RumFest in style (£10).

For a peek behind the scenes:
East London Liquor Company LCW Special Distillery Tour
Unit GF1, 221 Grove Rd, Bow Wharf, E3 5SN
Take a tour of the distillery and bottling room before sampling the vodka and three gins made on site (25).

For brushing up your cocktail-making skills:
Jamie Oliver’s Drinks Tube Live
Dray Walk, Brick Lane, E1 6QL
Join the stars of Drinks Tube and learn how to make cocktails at home. Visitors also have the chance to take part in the live Cocktail Request shows, so be sure to look your best!

For the best of rum all under one roof:
RumFest, running 11th and 12th October
ILEC Conference Centre, Earl’ Court, 47 Lillie Rd, SW6 1UD
For tickets and details see rumfest.co.uk