Top 10 London Cocktail Week events
As cocktail enthusiasts ready themselves for seven days of tastings, masterclasses, pop-up bars and parties at London Cocktail Week 2014, we roundup the top 10 unmissable events of the week.
These are the top 10 unmissable events for any discerning bartender or drinks professional at this year’s London Cocktail WeekTaking place next week on 6–10 October in Seven Dials, Covent Garden, London Cocktail Week will see the the return of its self-guided cocktail tours, as well as a host of brand-sponsored events.
Back by popular demand, the London Cocktail Week’s Shop and Sip will be returning, with stores in the area partnering with sponsors to offer tastings, master classes and the opportunity to discover new experiences, from liqueurs and lingerie, to hard liquor with a beard trim.
More than 200 of London’s best bars have signed up to offer bespoke and unlimited £4 cocktails throughout the week to help celebrate the city’s thriving cocktail culture.
Its specially created Ketel One Hub will be at the centre of the action, where visitors can not only find information and collect their required wristbands, but also immerse themselves in all things Bloody Mary.
However, for bartenders and other members of the drinks trade, London Cocktail Week offers a fantastic opportunity to network and expand their knowledge, particularly through its Bartenders’ Centre seminar space.
There are a plethora of events for the trade, presented by the trade, including a seminar on how to launch a drinks brand and the widely anticipated Whisky Exchange Show.
So if you’re a bartender of member of the drinks trade overwhelmed by the choice of events at this year’s London Cocktail Week, fear not, and click through the following pages to see your definitive guide.
For more information, click here.
The Whisky Exchange (TWE) Show
This dedicated free trade session for the widely anticipated Whisky Exchange (TWE) Show is a key date for most discerning bartenders’ and drinks professionals’ dairies.
Featuring a number of exciting masterclasses from established brands, the event will allow members of the on-trade to cultivate their whisky knowledge through their pick of some 400 whiskies.
TWE has become a pinnacle of whisky-tasting, and once again, guests will be able to taste some of the very rarest whiskies, some of which cost thousands of pounds per bottle, as well as meet the people responsible for producing the whisky to delve deeper into the production process, from field to bottle.
The event will take place on Monday 6 October at Vinopolis, No.1 Bank End from 12–5.30pm.
Price: Free
Craft Distilling Expo
The second annual London Craft Distilling Expo brings together craft distillers, suppliers, equipment makers, professionals and enthusiasts to experience and discuss the worldwide renaissance in craft distillation.
The leading suppliers and manufacturers in the industry will display the tools of the art, including distilling equipment, barrels, corks, bottles, and glassware. Distillers will also be displaying and discussing their exciting products.
The Craft Distilling Expo will take place on 7 and 8 October at The Boiler House, Old Truman Brewery, 152 Brick Lane.
Price: £40
A short history of long drinks
This seminar has been launched as part of London Cocktail Week’s Bartenders’ Centre, a theatre space offering back-to-back seminars to members of the drinks industry costing £10 each, with all profits going to The Bartender’s Best Scholarship Trust.
In this particular talk, a panel of experts led by Fever Tree’s Craig Harper will chart the history of some of the most iconic long drink serves, and look at how they defined the course of modern cocktail culture.
Speakers will cover everything from how the first and only cure for malaria turned into one of the world’s most popular mixed drinks – the G&T – to the lesser-known political intrigue that surrounds the Cuba Libre’s origins.
The event will take place on Tuesday 7 October at the Bartenders’ Centre, Tristan Bate’s Theatre, 1A Tower Street from 4.30pm–5.30pm.
Price: £10
I want one of those!
This Bartenders’ Centre seminar is hosted by Lucas Bols global brand ambassador Jon Clay and explores the evolution of drinks menus and presentations in modern bars.
Perfect for the bartender interested in the history of their trade and what they can do to mould its future, this event will ask questions such as: How does a consumer choose? What’s important when creating drinks? How do you make your drink not just a cocktail,but a classic? What makes a consumer think, I want one of those?
The event will take place on Tuesday 7 October at the Bartenders’ Centre, Tristan Bate’s Theatre, 1A Tower Street from 3pm–4pm
Price: £10
How to launch a drinks brand in 365 easy steps
For the budding spirits entrepreneurs, How to Launch a Spirits Brand in 365 Easy Steps is led by Alex Kammerling, founder of Kamm & Sons, and explores the steps of developing a liquid, naming, trademarking, business planning, marketing, social media strategy and PR in bringing a spirits brand to market.
The seminar will take place on Wednesday 8 October at Tristan Bate’s Theatre, 1A Tower Street.
Price: £10
World’s largest rum tasting
As part of the eighth annual UK RumFest, which runs alongside London Cocktail Week, famed global rum ambassador Ian Burrell is giving fans the chance to break the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest rum tasting.
Those attending The Rum Experience – which will be hosted by The RumFest founder, Burrel – will be able to take part on a sensory journey, sampling six different aged rums from different countries.
The tastings will be lead by brand representatives including Joy Spence, master blender of Appleton Rum; master distiller Roberto Seralles, master distiller of Don Q; George Freegard, head of rum procurement for Pusser’s Rum; John Georges, master distiller of Angostura; Asbel Morales Lorenzo, master blender of Havana Club; and Tito Cordero, former Golden Rum Barrels Awards winner, of Diplomatico.
The event will take place on 9 October at London’s Hotel ILEC
Price: £10
Setting up a distillery: urban vs. rural
With so many city distilleries re-emerging in recent years, many have asked the question, which is best when setting up a new distillery – the rural or urban environments?
Founders of the recently open, decidedly provincial Cotswolds Distillery and urban distillery East London Liquor Company will talk through the differing set up processes, product development and the day to day running of the business.
The seminar will take place on Thursday 9 October at Tristan Bate’s Theatre, 1A Tower Street from 1.30pm–2.30pm.
Price: £10
Angostura: From cane to cocktail
All the way from Trinidad, House of Angostura’s master distiller John Georges talks sugar cane and molasses while Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge winner and global brand ambassador Mike Tomasic leads a tasting of infused sugar cane juices and gomme syrups, debating which is best.
Visitors can also surround themselves with butterflies in the ethically created Butterfly House, press their own sugar cane juice and have it transformed into one of the butterfly-inspired Angostura rum cocktails on offer.
The event will take place on Thursday 9 October at the Angostura Butterfly House, 31 New Inn Yard, Shoreditch from 3pm–4pm.
Price: £9
How much can you support?
The relationship between spirits brands and bars is a widely discussed topic with both its benefits and pitfalls a frequent fixture in bartender debates.
In this seminar, Michael Vachon, head of brand development at Maverick Drinks, will explore the ways brands been able to support the growth and development of cocktail bars with their portfolio of brands.
Vachon will argue that brands can help bars deliver a great experience to their customers, encourage repeat business, and above all else, be profitable.
The talk will take place on Friday 10 October at the Bartenders’ Centre, Tristan Bate’s Theatre, 1A Tower Street from 3pm–4pm.
Price: £10
The Famous Grouse whisky blending masterclass
While one event is open to the public, The Famous Grouse is hosting another event for bartenders to blend and bottle their very own whisky.
In a seminar led by The Famous Grouse master blender Gordon Motion, bartenders will also be educated on the blending process in whisky production.
The masterclass will take place on the 6, 7, 8 and 9 October from 4pm–6pm, or 7pm–9pm at The Famous Grouse Blending Bar, 15-16 Thomas Neal Centre.
Price: Free
