The only bus you’ll want to be on board from 8-14 OctoberHow’s your diary looking for the week running 8th to 14th October? If there are any gaps in it, we’re guessing you haven’t booked up for London Cocktail Week. Naughty. With over 150 cocktail-tastic events running over the seven-day period we suggest booking the time off and getting seriously stuck in.
Joining in London’s biggest party couldn’t be easier. Simply register for your £4 wristband and you’ll have access to £4 cocktails at participating bars, a seat on the London Cocktail Week Routemaster bus plus an array of free and exciting events. But hurry, the ticketed ‘happenings’, (some free, some requiring you to flash a bit of cash), including masterclasses, pop-up events and all manner of spiritous mash-ups are selling out fast. For the full programme of events and to register for your wristband, see londoncocktailweek.com.
And because we want everyone to share in the cocktail love, we have 20 pairs of wristbands to give away. For a chance to win, please tell us what you’re most looking forward to during London Cocktail Week. Submit your entries via our Facebook page. The winners will be announced on Friday 5th October.
Here are a few highlights to whet your whistle…
Monday 8th
Ketel One Experience 5.30pm-6.30pm, The London Cocktail Week Ketel One Hub, 15 Shorts Gardens, Seven Dials, WC2H 9AT. Free. Brand Ambassador Deano Moncrieffe will be imparting his knowledge about Ketel One and the vodka category in general whilst serving bespoke Ketel One cocktails.
Mini Ginstitute 6pm-7pm, The Ginstitute Seven Dials, 15/16 Thomas Neal Centre, WC2H 9LD. £45. A chance to blend your very own gin under the watchful eye of our resident Gin Instructor.
Tuesday 9th
Taste of Zacapa 4pm-5pm & 5:30pm-6.30pm, Bam-Bou Red Bar, 1 Percy Street, London, W1T 1DB. £35. Zacapa cocktail and Asian food pairing with Zacapa 23 and Zacapa XO.
Meet Johnnie Walker 5.30pm-6.30pm, The London Cocktail Week Hub, 15 Shorts Gardens, Seven Dials, WC2H 9AT. Free. Brand ambassador Kabir Suharan will be imparting his knowledge about Johnnie Walker and the whisky category in general whilst serving complimentary cocktails.
Monkey Shoulder Cocktail Bootcamp 6.30pm-8.30pm Bon Vivant on Monkey’s Shoulder, 51 Neal Street, Seven Dials, WC2H 9PQ. £15. A crash course in cocktails from their origins to the present day.
Whistling Shop Emporium 7pm-10pm, Worship Street Whistling Shop, 63 Worship Street, EC2A 2DU. £12. Smashing your senses with an all-round whisky experience tasting malts including Talisker and Singleton, food pairing, and the history of drinking whisky.
Ketel Forgets No-One 7pm-10pm, Happiness Forgets, 8-9 Hoxton Square, N1 6NU. Free entry. An evening of signature Ketel One serves plus an in-house engraver. Bring in any item you would like personalised by Ketel One.
Wednesday 10th
Tanqueray G&Teatime 4pm-6pm, Rivington Bar & Grill, 28-30 Rivington Street, EC2A 3DZ. £35. Afternoon Tea with G&Teatime & Tanqueray.
Zacapa Experience 5.30pm-6.30pm, The London Cocktail Week Hub, 15 Shorts Gardens, Seven Dials, WC2H 9AT. Free. Brand Ambassador Danny Valdez will be imparting his knowledge about Zacapa and the rum category in general whilst serving delicious complimentary cocktails.
U’Luvka Vodka and Cocktail Tastings 5.30pm-8pm, Amathus Soho, 113-117 Wardour Street, W1F 0UN. Free. Cocktail demonstrations and free tastings of bespoke cocktails made with U’Luvka Vodka.
A little Birdy told me about Zacapa… 6pm-6.45pm & 7.15pm-8pm, Nightjar, 129 City Road, EC1V 1JB. Free entry. A full tasting of the five Zacapa variants, plus the bar will create a bespoke Chocolate Egg Sazerac with Zacapa 23yr.
Tanqueray Todd’s Barber Shop 6.30pm-11pm, Callooh Callay, 65 Rivington Street, EC2A 3QQ. Free entry. Based around the Sweeney Todd story, expect botanical pies, gin baths, Tanqueray tankard cocktails and close shaves.
Monkey Shoulder Cocktail Bootcamp 6.30pm-8.30pm Bon Vivant on Monkey’s Shoulder, 51 Neal Street, Seven Dials, WC2H 9PQ. £15. A crash course in cocktails from their origins to the present day.
Murdock Mixology & Sacred Microdistillery 7pm-9pm, Murdock, 18 Monmouth Street, Seven Dials, WC2H 9HB. Free. Cocktails created by Sacred and based on Murdock’s signature colognes will be served whilst celebrating London’s rich history of gin.
Tradicional After Supper Club 7pm-midnight, M&C Motors, 28 Millers Avenue, E8 2DS. £45. Cuervo Tradicional are taking over M&C Motors in East London to bring the spirit of tequila to life with food designed by The Art of Dining.
The World’s 50 Best Bars Ceremony 8pm-midnight, 8 Northumberland Avenue, WC2N 5BY. Win Tickets. The World’s 50 Best Bars is compiled by Drinks International magazine and is based on a poll incorporating the votes of 200 industry grandees.
Thursday 11th
Secrets of Malts-Talisker-Singleton-Lagavulin 5pm – 7:30pm, Money-can’t-buy Secret Location. £100. Special malts tasting with silver service canapés and drinks on the terrace
Talisker Experience 5.30pm-6.30pm, The London Cocktail Week Hub, 15 Shorts Gardens, Seven Dials, WC2H 9AT. Free. Brand ambassador Colin Dunn will be imparting his unrivalled knowledge about Talisker and the whisky category in general.
An Evening of English Sparkle 6.30pm-8.30pm, Sipsmith Distillery, 27 Nasmyth Street, W6 0HA. £35. Sipsmith spirits are pairing up with Chapel Down vineyards for an evening of delicious sparkling cocktails at the distillery.
Tradicional After Supper Club 7pm-midnight, M&C Motors, 28 Millers Avenue, E8 2DS – £45. Cuervo Tradicional are taking over M&C Motors in East London to bring the spirit of tequila to life with food designed by The Art of Dining.
The Ginstitute 7.30pm-9.30pm, The Ginstitute Seven Dials, 15/16 Thomas Neal Centre, WC2H 9LD. £100. The Gin Instructor takes you on a whirlwind history of gin with botanical tasting and a gin blending session, with a bottle of your own creation to take away.
Monkey Shoulder Cocktail Bootcamp 6.30pm-8.30pm, Bon Vivant on Monkey’s Shoulder, 51 Neal Street, Seven Dials, WC2H 9PQ. £15. A crash course in cocktails from their origins to the present day with Monkey Shoulder’s Brand Ambassador Dean Callan.
Johnnie Walker – Meet the Family 9pm-11pm, The Loft at The Club at The Ivy, 9 West Street, WC2H 9NE . £100. A tasting of the full Johnnie Walker range hosted by Kabir Suharan and Colin Dunn with canapés and live music in this exclusive setting.
Olmeca Altos Presents Midnight in Mexico 11.30pm-1.30am, Wahaca Soho, 80 Wardour Street, W1F 0TF. £5. Olmeca Altos and Wahaca bring you a late-night movie experience with a Tequila-flavoured twist.
Friday 12th
Twisted Ice Cream Cocktails 2pm-3pm, The Smatt’s Rum & Ice Cream Shack, 53 Monmouth Street, Seven Dials, WC2H 9DG. £15. A chance to taste the devilish alcoholic ice creams alongside their liquid cocktail inspiration.
Meet Grand Marnier 5.30pm-6.30pm, The London Cocktail Week Hub, 15 Shorts Gardens, Seven Dials, WC2H 9AT. Free. Brand ambassador Julien Lafond will be imparting his knowledge about all things Grand Marnier whilst serving complimentary cocktails.
Wild Food & Drinks with Food Safari & Sipsmith 6.30pm-8.30pm, Sipsmith Distillery, 27 Nasmyth Street, W6 0HA. £50. Hosted by Sipsmith distiller Jared Brown and forager Nick Saltmarsh, the evening will celebrate the use of wild food in canapés and cocktails.
Zubrowka Masterclass 7.30pm-9.30pm, Mercer Street Hotel, 20 Mercer Street, Seven Dials, WC2H 9HD. £10. Learn more about the amazing legends of Zubrowka from Brand Ambassador Pawel Rolek.
The Cottons Rum Club presented by Angostura 8pm-1am, Seven Dials Club, 42 Earlham Street, WC2H 9LA. £10. The official RumFest 1920’s launch party with Angostura. Dress to Impress!
Saturday 12th
RumFest, 12pm-7pm, 1 Excel Centre London E16 1XL. £25. Back for its sixth successive year, RumFest is the world’s largest festival dedicated to the celebration of rum and rum culture.
Grey Goose Taste By Appointment 1pm-4pm & 5pm-8pm, Dabbous, 39 Whitfield Street, London, W1T 2SF. £75. A revelatory occasion dedicated to exploring your personal taste, featuring exquisite cocktails, intriguing taste experiments and a one-to-one consultation with renowned taste experts.
Drink Deck Bar Tour 4.30pm-late, London Cocktail Club, 224 Shaftesbury Avenue London, WC2H 8EB. £20. Join Drink Deck and Yelp.co.uk on their Soho Bar Tour, as they take you around their pick of the best, with complimentary and discounted drinks in every venue.
Zubrowka Masterclass 7.30pm-9.30pm, Mercer Street Hotel, 20 Mercer Street, Seven Dials, WC2H 9HD. £10. Learn more about the amazing legends of Zubrowka from brand ambassador Pawel Rolek.
Sunday 13th
Mad Men Series One Marathon 11am-11pm, Roxy Bar and Screen, 128-132 Borough High Street, SE1 1LB. £15. Mad Men Series One back-to-back with a full English breakfast, followed by Woodford Reserve cocktails.
RumFest 12pm-7pm, 1 Excel Centre, E16 1XL. £20. Back for its sixth successive year, RumFest is the world’s largest festival dedicated to the celebration of rum and rum culture.
ALL WEEK
Cointreau Cocktails Mon-Sun, 4pm-7pm, Coco de Mer, 23 Monmouth St, Seven Dials, WC2H 9DD. Free. A pop-up Cointreau bar in erotic emporium Coco de Mer, where expert mixologists will be creating three cocktails to celebrate London Cocktail Week.
The Smatt’s Rum & Ice Cream Shack Mon-Fri 11am-9pm. 53 Monmouth Street, Seven Dials, WC2H 9DG. Free. Rum, cocktails and ice cream all in one pop-up!
The Caorunn Foxhall Sensorium Thurs 4pm-8pm; Fri 4pm-7pm; Sat 3pm-6pm, Foxhall, 20 Earlham Street, Seven Dials, WC2H 9LG. Free. An exclusive pop-up bar of drinks and aromatic adventures to elevate the senses.
Fever-Tree Botanical Bicycle Wed-Sat,12pm-7pm, 39 Monmouth Street, Seven Dials, WC2H 9DD. Free. Fever Tree will be serving up complimentary combinations of their all natural premium mixers with your favourite spirits.
The Ginstitute Mon-Sun 12pm-7pm, The Ginstitute Seven Dials, 15/16 Thomas Neal Centre, WC2H 9LD. Free. Sample the spirit and purchase a bottle for mixology at home.
Kamm & Sons Punch and Judy Bar Thurs-Sat, 12pm-7pm, 35 Long Acre, Seven Dials, WC2E 9JT. Free. The Kamm & Sons Punch & Judy bar will be popping up to sample a new Bergamot ‘Punch’ recipe and a cocktail named ‘Judy’. That’s the way to do it.
Hendrick’s Gin Commentary Box Fri-Sun 12pm-4pm, 45a Monmouth Street, Seven Dials, WC2H 9DG. Free. Gin has fuelled legendary writers throughout the years, providing curious passages and quality quotes. Pop by for a taste and earful of the unusual.
Alcoholic Afternoon Tea Mon-Sun 3pm-6pm, Brasserie Max, Covent Garden Hotel, 10 Monmouth Street, Seven Dials, WC2H 9HB. £32.50. Traditional Afternoon Tea with a Champagne cocktail.
Zubrowka Cocktail Menu, Mon-Sun 11am-2am, Dial Bar, Mercer Street Hotel, 20 Mercer Street, Seven Dials, WC2H 9HD. Dial Bar present an exclusive London Cocktail Week drinks menu inspired by the unique herbaceous taste of the original bison grass vodka, Zubrowka.
Monin Mad Hatter Tea Club Mon-Fri, 5pm-11pm, Covent Garden Cocktail Club, 6-7 Great Newport Street, WC2H 7JB. Free. You are invited to choose a cocktail made with any one of Monin’s 90+ syrup flavours for their Mad Hatter experience.
The Grand Marnier Punch House Mon-Sun, 11am-8pm, Arts Club Theatre, above Covent Garden Cocktail Club, 6-7 Great Newport Street, WC2H 7JB. Free. Grand Marnier has recreated a French 1900’s Bistro to offer a light French Breakfast followed by some cracking punches for just £4.
The Bourbon Empire Mon-Fri 6.30pm-11pm, 34 Tavistock Street, WC2E 7PB. Free. A pop-up bar hosted by The Buffalo Trace Distillery with a chance to meet the Master Blender Drew Mayville.
Bottle Special Offer Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Soho Wine Supply, 18 Percy Street, Fitzrovia, W1T 1DX. Soho Wine Supply are offering 10% off all the bottles of spirits in their store and 20% off all promoted brands (not in conjuction with any other offers).
NinetyeightXpress Cocktail Masterclass Mon-Sat 5pm, Ninetyeight Bar & Lounge, 98 Curtain Road, EC2A 3AF. £28. History, home-made infusions, cocktail making lesson and a competition.
Whistling Shop Emporium Mon-Sun, times on request, Worship Street Whistling Shop, 63 Worship Street, EC2A 2DU. £70. All-round whisky experience tasting malts including Talisker and Singleton, food pairing, and the history of drinking whisky.
