Photo of
October 9, 2017
Cocktails in the City
Cocktails in the City operates in seven UK cities plus Los Angeles. Pic: CITC

Cocktails in the City returns to Edinburgh later this week.

Monday morning may not seem the best time to start contemplating cocktails. However, we say that it’s never too early to start planning your next Moscow Mule.

Or indeed something rather more exotic.

Cocktails in the City is back in Edinburgh’s Mansfield Traquair on Thursday 12th and Friday 13th October.

Cocktails in the City: now launched in LA

It is the fifth time that the cocktail festival has mixed things up in the city. And it has spread much further afield. The festival now operates eight events in seven cities around the UK and launched in LA in September 2017.

Since 2012, the festival has welcomed over 35,000 guests through the doors.

In Edinburgh, the fun starts at 6pm with eighteen of the city’s best cocktail bars all under the one roof. A live DJ, cocktail demos and master classes will keep it all buzzing.

Likely to be very popular is The Art of Blending master class. A 45 minute whisky experience, it allows guests to blend their own 200ml bottle of whisky.

Tickets cost £12 per person for the festival and include one cocktail. Further cocktails are £6.50 each.

Among many others, bars appearing at Mansfield Traquair include Chez Mal at Malmaison, 56 north Auld Reekie Tiki Bar, Bar Soba, Gin71 and Angel’s Share.

The 5pm Dining blog was at a fun preview event and tasting for Cocktails in the City.

Innovative cocktails

The mixologists deserve full marks for inventiveness. Bar Soba have teamed up with Bacardi to create the Butterfly Effect cocktail.

Among the ingredients are coconut water, hibiscus syrup and that old store cupboard staple, butterfly peaflower extract.

Apparently, it will be served from a fountain at the festival.

Just as exotic was the Fair Play from Juniper Bar. Made with Fair Trade gin using juniper berries from Uzbekistan, this was paired with goat’s cheese and black pepper popcorn.

Which was unexpectedly delicious.

Leith Gin had got together with Chez Mal at Malmaison to dream up the Blue Steel.

A refreshing, citrusy drink, the Blue Steel more than lived up to its name.

One wag suggested that it looked like a liquidised Smurf.

All we’re saying is that if liquidised Smurfs taste this good then the Smurf Village will soon be empty.

Chin chin!