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London Cocktail Week 2017 in pictures

London Cocktail Week returned to Old Spitalfield’s Market last week with an extensive rota of masterclasses, distillery tours, pop-­ups, parties, tastings, workshops and paired meals. Playing host to the festival for the third year running, the site offers a plethora of activations, as well as live music performances and interactive experiences.

The Cocktail Village at Old Spitalfields Market remains the epicentre of the cocktail festival with an array of spirits brands taking part. New to this year’s schedule was The Bartender Edit, a free seminar space and trade-only pop-­up bar next to The Cocktail Village that focussed on industry topics and trends.

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts hosted a pop-up bar inspired by Fairmont’s iconic bars across the globe. The Classics Perfected bar served up classic cocktails as well as masterclasses from head bartender of The Savoy, Erik Lorincz, and Grant Sceney (pictured), from the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver.

John Dewar & Sons teamed up with London bar TT Liquor to host The Scotch Egg Club Emporium. Whisky and Scotch egg pairings, tastings, tattoos, chicken photo coop and whisky highball pong, as well as chicken thumb wars and chicken bingo are among some of the activities inspired by Tommy Dewar’s love for whisky and chicken.

Another treat for whisky and food lovers was John Dewar & Son’s Fine Whisky Supper, a collaboration between the Scotch whisky brand, renowned bartender Ryan Chetiyawardana, and Michelin-starred restaurant Clove Club. Guests enjoyed an array of delectable dishes paired with Chetiyawardana’s cocktails made with the John Dewar & Sons’ portfolio of whiskies.

Birch sap spirit Freya also unveiled its very own bar at the event, mixing a combination of cocktails for consumers including the brand’s hero serve – a take on the classic Mule, combining Freya, muddled cherries, lime juice, Cointreau and ginger beer. Legendary bartender and former UKBG president Peter Dorelli and cocktail connoisseur Spike Marchant, who was a judge at the brand’s recent national cocktail competition, also made an appearance.

The event also saw the launch of Belvedere’s two new terroir-focused vodkas, Smogóry Forest and Lake Bartężek. Head of spirit creation Claire Smith-Warner and global brand educator Alice Farquhar discussed the processes involved in the new vodkas, as well as how the environment of two farms has affected their terroir.

Guests were taken into a forest that had been set up inside to sample the vodkas in cocktails, made and served by leading bartenders who had been flown in for the occasion.

Patrón Tequila returned to London Cocktail Week with their Patrón Cocktail Lab. The bar saw seven of the world’s best bartenders guest shift each day with a Patrón Tequila cocktail inspired by their home city. Guest bartenders included Nikos Bakoulis from the Clumsies in Athens, José Luis Leon from Limantour in Mexico City and James Wheeler and Alex Lawrence from Dandelyan.

Sailor Jerry also brought back its tattoo parlour Cloak and Dagger to this year’s LCW. Festival-goers picked from a range of official Sailor Jerry iconic flash art work designs including a pair of dice, Hawaiian landscape, a swallow or naval star. Guests were then invited to celebrate their bold tattoos at The Cocktail Village, where a range of Sailor Jerry cocktails were available from a vintage airstream bar.

During the week, Britvic and Pepsi Max hosted a cocktail competition in association with Barlife UK, which tasked bartenders with putting a twist on a Cuba Libre. Amber Blood from London Cocktail Club impressed judges with her winning cocktails, She’s My Cherry and Ginger Ninja. For winning, she received an all-expenses paid trip for two to Ibiza Rocks 2018.

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