Photo of
April 30, 2019

Returning to the capital for the seventh time - if our maths is dodgy we blame the cocktails - the event promises lots of reasons to cry 'Sip sip Hooray!'

The sixteen bars taking part include Nauticus, 99 Hanover Street, Harvey Nichols Forth Floor Bar, Hoot The Redeemer, The Raging Bull, Tigerlily, Usquabae Bar, Juniper Bar, Empress of Broughton Street and Le Monde.

Guests can sample the different cocktails from the bars and cast a vote to see which will be crowned the Best Bar at this year's event.

Street food market

As well as the Immersive Tasting Rooms and interactive tasting sessions, Cocktails in the City will feature an al fresco street food market and a botanical gin garden.

Also, Juniper Bar have teamed up with Edinburgh's Pickering's Gin to help customers freestyle their own drink. Or Pick Your Own Pickering's, if you will. (Main pic above)

Guests can choose between the classic London Dry, the spicier Bombay style of Pickering's Original 1947 or the Pickering's Pink Grapefruit and Lemongrass Gin Liqueur.

Visitors then have to decide between adding raspberry cream soda, Italian bitter orange and chocolate, botanical lemonade, iced-tea soda cordial or a homemade bramble syrup.

Your bartender will then charge your drink with soda before you proceed to the garnishing table where you can select from a range of dried fruits, herbs, botanicals and good old-fashioned sweeties.

There will also be a selection of cocktails based on Laurent-Perrier Champagnes which have been created by three of the most innovative women working in the city's cocktail scene: Sian Buchan of Panda and Sons; Georgia Thresh of Hawksmoor and Kelsie Hammy of Nightcap.

Happy birthday to the Negroni

This scribbler is looking forward to trying four different takes on a Negroni.

The drink is said to be one hundred years old. According to the legend, Count Camillo Negroni was in need of a stiffener at his regular haunt, the Caffe Casoni in Florence.

His favourite cocktail was the Americano, a mix of Campari, vermouth and soda water but he fancied something with more of a kick and asked the bartender to replace the soda water with gin.

And thus the Negroni was born.

99 Hanover Street are celebrating its centenary with four different variations on the Italian classic.

Live DJ sets from Nasty P will add to the vibe.

Entry includes one cocktail with all additional cocktails at £6.50. Book your tickets here

Cocktails in the City will run 6pm-11pm, Friday 3rd-Saturday 4th May at The Hub on the Royal Mile.