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London to see first Espresso Martini festival

Australia-based Mr Black Cold Press Coffee Liqueur has teamed up with London Cocktail Week’s DrinkUp.London to host the city’s first Espresso Martini Festival.

Taking place from 10-12 August, the event will see 50 bars across London pour £5 signature Espresso Martinis alongside a serve which makes use of Mr Black Cold Press Coffee Liqueur.

Bars already signed up include Milk & Honey, Jason Atherton’s Blind Pig, Grind venues, Cocktail Trading Company, Original Sin, 46 & Mercy, Bourne & Hollingsworth Buildings, and the London Cocktail Clubs.

The Expresso Martini serve – now one of London’s biggest cocktail exports – was invented by the late Dick Bradsell while working at Brasserie Soho in the 1980s.

“London keeps step with the world’s 24-hour cities for nightlife and cocktail excellence, so it’s no surprise the legendary espresso martini has its origins in Soho,” said Mr Black Cold Press Coffee Liqueur founder Tom Baker.

“If we were ever going to expand our Espresso Martini Festival outside of our home country of Australia, then it had to be London. Brits have embraced coffee culture in a big way and the espresso martini means Londoners’ caffeine hits can run all day and into the night.

“Coffee is one of those things that runs deep with people – like sex and religion – so we use our festival as an opportunity to bring people together and indulge a little. We had huge success with the inaugural festival down in Melbourne last year, with tickets for the Friday night session selling out in 60 seconds – so we thought we’d give it a spin here in London.”

To take part in the Espresso Martini Festival, fans of the serve need to purchase a £10 Festival Pass from DrinkUp.London and download the free app, which will enable them to purchase the participating serves for £5. Passes go on sale from 3 July.

Last month creative agency The Drink Cabinet announced it was organising Edinburgh’s first cocktail festival, set to take place this August.

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