It may be Monday morning but the 5pm Dining blog is already stirring up October’s fun.
If you like cocktails then you may wish to get the diary out for news of Cocktails in the City. The UK’s largest cocktail festival is returning to Edinburgh’s Mansfield Traquair on Thursday 29th and Friday 30th October.
World class bar tenders
It is the third time that the event has been held in the capital and around a thousand cocktail-lovers are expected to attend.
Your blogger was at a preview event at Chaophraya in Edinburgh last week. As well as cocktails from Blackbird, Harvey Nichols, Juniper and Chaophraya, Andrew Scutts, founder of Cocktails in the City, was there to tell us all about it:
‘Cocktails in the City will get most of Edinburgh’s best cocktail bars under one roof and allow visitors to explore the diversity of the cocktail scene with friends. Edinburgh has a long heritage of producing world class bar tenders and cocktail makers and this event is a perfect way to see what they can do.’
From the rise of ‘startenders’ to innovations such as pre-batched cocktails and the trend for mixologists making their own ingredients, the cocktail market is full of surprises.
Innovative drinks
If you are a regular in Edinburgh’s cocktail bars then you will probably have come across barrel-aged cocktails already. Future developments to look out for include home delivery cocktails; drinks made with vintage ingredients and cocktails aged with leather, glass, steel and charcoal.
A number of notable Edinburgh establishments are already confirmed to take part in Cocktails in the City, including G&V Royal Mile Hotel, Harvey Nichols, 56 North, Juniper, The Voodoo Rooms, Chaophraya and Hoot the Redeemer. There will be representatives from sixteen bars altogether.
A must visit for cocktail lovers and budding mixologists alike, the event will see bars and bartenders go head-to-head in a bid to win the coveted Best Cocktail award.
Other awards, such as Best Show Experience, will encourage bar teams to be on full charm offensive while demonstrating their skills for flaring and mixing.
The main stage demos will be loosely based around film titles. Look out for rum-based drinks during The Motorcycle Diaries segment and morning-after-the-night-before drinks during The Breakfast Club section.
Award-winning caterers – Heritage Portfolio – will provide a delicious dinner menu throughout the event, with live DJs also in attendance.
Tickets are £10 and include one free cocktail, access to the main stage demonstrations and a cocktail booklet. Tickets and more information can be found at
www.cocktailsinthecity.co.uk/Edinburgh