Cocktails in the City London: Everything you need to know as the mixology festival returns

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Ailis Brennan10 July 2019

Cocktails in the City, the capital’s top mixology extravaganza, is returning to London for a summery spectacular.

After shaking and stirring its way around the UK for the last few months, the cocktail convention will head to central London this weekend, with dozens of the city’s favourite bars and spirit brands in tow.

From Covent Garden to Clerkenwell, the festival offers a chance to sample drinks found all across the city, without having to hop on a single tube.

Thirsty? Here’s everything you need to know.

What is Cocktails in the City?

Cocktails in the City runs over three days, with 25 of the capital’s best bars under one roof (or without a roof, in this edition’s case) to showcase their bartending skills. The event pops up in cities all across the UK throughout the year and welcomes more than 10,000 cocktail enthusiasts every year. A spring edition came to the capital earlier in 2019, held in the underground tunnels of The Vaults in Waterloo. Hoping for a sun-soaked couple of days, this year’s summer event will be an al fresco affair.

When and where is Cocktails in the City?

Things run from July 12-13 in Bloomsbury’s Bedford Square Gardens (WC1B 3HH). The space is usually closed off to the public, but the two-day extravaganza will see bars popping up all across the outdoor venue.

How can you get tickets?

Tickets are available to purchase online here. They start at £15 for Early Birds and Group Save, with standard tickets costing £20. The ticket includes entry and one complimentary cocktail, with all other cocktails priced at £7.50.

What cocktail bars will be there?

A total of 25 bars from across the capital will be rocking up to the festival, alongside another 25 spirit brands. The pop-up bars will present a mix of signature serves and special edition cocktails created especially for the festival. Every bar will be giving it their all, with both consumers and industry judges asked to vote for their favourite bar experience – meaning one lucky winner will be crowned “London’s best bar”. The bars you can check out at the event include:

… with a few more surprise additions yet to be confirmed.

What else can you do at Cocktails in the City?

Guests who really want to get in the know about their drinks can head to the Tasting Rooms. The venue will host three tasting experiences led by spirit producers curated by the Cocktails in the City team. Across three rooms, each brand goes through various flavours and tasting notes, before you head on into the next room to discover another.

If you’re overwhelmed (or just a little overexcited) by the mammoth drinks selection, the Mystery Cocktail Tour tends to be a good way to navigate the festival. Led by an expert guide, the 30-40 minute tour is a way to discover bars that mightn't be on your radar, with samples of three different cocktails or spirits on offer for each participant.

Champagne house Laurent-Perrier will celebrate female bartenders, serving up a selection of cocktails created by some of the best women mixologists in the capital. The women behind the drinks include Anna Sebastian of Artesian at The Langham (who's also part of this month's ES Cocktail Club), Kelley Hill of Trailer Happiness and Sophie Bratt, formerly of Harvey Nichols Fifth Floor Bar.

Top street food traders will plate up sustenance throughout. Lost Boys Pizza will be serving up its signature black charcoal pizzas, Rainbo will serve up gyoza trays and more Japanese snacks, while Rockadollar will be fully-loading meat and vegetarian hot dogs.

Cocktails in the City will run from July 12-13 at Bedford Square Gardens, WC1B 3HH. For more information and tickets, visit cocktailsinthecity.com

The best bars in London

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