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London Cocktail Week 2018 in pictures

Non-alcoholic spirit Borrago kicked off London Cocktail Week on Monday with the launch of a pop-up cocktail bar on the tube.

Founder Tom Tuke-Hastings said: “This London Cocktail Week we want to give more choices for naturally delicious non-alcoholic cocktails, especially with lots of people trying to go sober for October. With the Tube not allowing alcohol, we felt this was a great way to highlight that you can have a delicious cocktail without the alcohol.”

Mixer producer The London Essence Company hosted six leading guest bartenders as part of its immersive pop-up The Light House, which aims to showcase low-abv drinks. Bartenders taking part included Erik Lorincz, former head bartender at The Savoy’s American Bar; Ago Perrone of The Connaught; Yann Bouvignies of Scarfe’s Bar; and Nikos and Vassilis from The Clumsies.

Each serve contained less than 150 calories and explored the bartenders’ own interpretation of ‘light’.

A series of ‘Light Talks’ were also held in partnership with not-for-proft Healthy Hospo. Jim Wrigley and Seedlip founder Ben Branson presented talks on topics such as well-being, an alcohol-free future, and mindfulness.

Earlier this week, Havana Club hosted its new Paladar Series in partnership with London restaurant Cub and New York-based Cuban-themed bar BlackTail.

The Paladar Series, which ran on both Monday and Tuesday evening, is a 10-course multi-sensory private dining experience featuring cocktails and dishes inspired by Cuba.

Havana Club Icónica’s collection of four rare aged rums were paired with experimental dishes produced by sustainable drinks-led restaurant Cub, the brainchild of renowned bartender Ryan Chetiyawardana and chef Doug McMaster of Brighton’s Silo.

Jack Daniel’s invited guests to its Tennessee Sessions on Tuesday at The Bike Shed Motorcycle Club, which featured educational seminars from leading bartenders. Visitors attended talks on entrepreneurialism and how to create an award-winning business from DrinkUpLondon’s Hannah Sharman-Cox and The Dead Rabbit’s Rebekkah Dooley before welcoming American Bar’s Erik Lorincz and The Dead Rabbit’s Jillian Vose who spoke about creativity by sharing their thoughts and advice on the art of delivering the perfect drink.

Guests to this year’s London Cocktail Week festival found The Cocktail Village in a new location at The Old Truman Brewery in Brick Lane. The Cocktail Village opened on Wednesday with an array of pop-­ups, parties, tastings, workshops and paired meals. The site offered a plethora of activations, as well as live music performances and interactive experiences.

Virgin Atlantic and Aviation Gin celebrated their new partnership at this year’s London Cocktail Week.

Virgin Atlantic will become the exclusive airline partner of the brand, which will be served on-board its flights and via its Clubhouses.

From 3–7 October, Virgin Atlantic traded its cockpits for cocktails with activations at The Cocktail Village. Guests stopped by for Aviation Gin cocktails from some of the world’s best bars, including Employees Only’s First Blush and Black Tail’s Terminal A.

Actor Ryan Reynolds acquired Oregon-made Aviation American Gin in February this year for an undisclosed sum.

Tonic producer Fever-Tree teamed up with whisky bar Black Rock to bring a Whisky & Ginger pop-up bar to The Cocktail Village.

Fever-Tree and Black Rock’s blending experts worked together to create four whisky blends that complement Fever-Tree’s Ginger Ale, Spiced Orange Ginger Ale, Smoky Ginger Ale and Ginger Beer, which were available throughout London Cocktail Week.

Guests were taken on a voyage of discovery and shown the versatility of whisky, accompanied by a plate of fresh oysters with Black Rock’s signature soda bread and seaweed butter.

Guests were invited to step inside a sauna for a tutored tasting of Finland-based Kyrö Distillery Company’s rye spirit portfolio. Within the forested area, guests were also given a chance to play Mollky – a traditional wooden game like skittles.

Rémy Martin Cognac and Cointreau liqueur joined forces to celebrate classic cocktail the Sidecar with the launch of a nationwide trade competition designed to create a “conceptual and contemporary twist” on the cocktail.

Bartenders across the UK were invited to post their creation onto Instagram using the hashtags #SidecarCup18, #RémyMartinUK and #Cointreau, while also challenging two other bartenders to do the same.

The five finalists had their cocktails served at the Sidecar Bar by Rémy Martin and Cointreau at The Cocktail Village.

From 3-5 October, Patrón Tequila took over a secret Hoxton location and transformed it into a cocktail haven where talented bartenders showcased how to mix Patrón cocktails at home as part of its Drinks at Home experience.

The three-night pop-up saw a number of Patrón serves made especially by mixologists including Matt Whiley of Scout bar, along with music from some of London’s hottest DJ’s.

On Wednesday, Slane Irish Whiskey invited guests to enjoy Irish rock and roll and cocktails at Old Street Records. The brand showcased its signature triple casked blend, along with Slane serves and music from Irish artist Trading with Craic.

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