London Cocktail Week returns in October — THE festival for everyone from Aviation aficionados to negroni neophytes. Here's your need-to-know.
What is London Cocktail Week?
For 11 days in October, scores of London's best cocktail bars sign up to be a part of this city-wide celebration of cocktail culture. Participants purchase £15 wristbands, which are good for the duration of the festival, and get you signature serves for £8 at hundreds of participating bars across the city. You'll also get a printed London Cocktail Week Guidebook to steer you towards the bars that suit you best. There are also masterclasses and other special events. London Cocktail Week began in 2010, and has become one of the most revered festivals of its kind in the world.
When and where is London Cocktail Week 2023?
It runs from 12-22 October. Already a slew of bars have been announced — from Brixton to Belgravia to Covent Garden to Crouch End to Shoreditch to South Bank. To name a few of the venues that get Londonist's seal of approval: wood-panelled art deco style Bar Americain at Zedel; Peckham's unpretentious Funkidory; Homeboy in Islington (who do a mean boilermaker); stone cold classic Nightjar in Old Street (also their Carnaby outpost); and Satan's Whiskers in Bethnal Green, where they make your dirty martini absolutely filthy. More venues, we're told, will be announced in the coming weeks — as will details of those signature £8 serves for each venue.
What's new for London Cocktail Week 2023?
The 'Connoisseur's Collection' is new for this year, where 'London's most prestigious bar venues' will offer an intimate service featuring one-off tastings, unique cocktail flights and masterclasses from renowned bartenders. There's also a new Bartender Knowledge Exchange, although as the name suggests, you'll need to be an actual bartender to take part in this.
We'll bring you more info on London Cocktail Week as we get it — stay tuned!
London Cocktail Week 2023, 12-22 October
