From a week-long celebration of the world’s most iconic drink to the return of the ultimate urban cocktail festival, the August events calendar is coming in hot.

With the mercury set to soar once again in August, what could be better than a gin-soaked sorbet to keep you cool? Or perhaps some popsicle cocktails on a rooftop at the biggest birthday party of the year will keep body temperatures low and spirits extra high.

Looking for a night of high-brow-meets-low-brow? New York is delivering the goods this month with an evening of documentaries and drinking, while London is playing host to a rum insurrection you won’t want to miss.

Keep scrolling for the best of whats to come in August.

Ginato Italian Gin Bar

What: Italian gin and gelato experience

Where: The Culloden Estate, Belfast

When: Throughout summer

Gin and gelato go together like a bucket and spade in the summer, and for the rest of the season visitors to the Cuddoden Estate in Belfast can enjoy both thanks to a pop-up from Italian gin brand, Ginato.

With plenty of outdoor seating available in the estate’s landscaped grounds, guests can sit back, relax and enjoy a selection of delicious small plates and Ginato Italian gin cocktails, including the Ginato Spritz and Ginato Gin Sorbet. Keeping with the Italian theme, a delicious selection of gelato will be available, locally sourced from Glastry Farm.

FOCO Barcelona tours UK

What: Preview of the soon-to-open FOCO Barcelona 

Where: Swift Shoreditch and Callooh Callay, London; Lab 22, Cardiff; Filthy XIII, Bristol

When: 1, 2, 4 and 7 August

One of Europe’s most anticipated new cocktail bar launches, FOCO Barcelona, is hitting the road this August with four exclusive previews of its soon-to-open cocktail bar, taking over Swift Shoreditch, Callooh Callay, Lab 22 and Filthy XIII.

FOCO (Foreign Correspondents) founders Tom Godfrey and Theo Quinn are two best friends from Bristol who have cut their teeth at two of Barcelona’s most acclaimed cocktail bars: Theo at Paradiso, and Tom at Two Schmucks. Now, the pair are branching out on their own and the tour will bring their unique take on Spanish hospitality and high concept cocktails to the UK.

San Francisco Martini Week

What: Junipero Gin’s inaugural San Francisco Martini Week

Where: 15 Romolo, Bar Agricole, Bar Iris, Blondies, For The Record, High Horse, Kona Street Market, Pacific Cocktail Haven, Rye, Sushi Sato, Wilder and Wildhawk, San Francisco

When: 1-6 August

A brand-new event for Martini-lovers is on its way to California, and its being helmed by the San Francisco-based Junipero Gin. The craft gin brand has teamed up with San Francisco Magazine to host the first Martini Week in The Golden City.

The event will shine a light on the great classic cocktail but it will also work to raise funds for the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a San Francisco-born non-profit and cutting-edge order of queer and trans nuns devoted to community service and activism. Restaurants and bars across the city will invite consumers to try creative Martini variations with Junipero Gin’s bold unfiltered expression while raising donations for every glass raised.

Floral menu at Sheraton Grand

What: Limited edition floral cocktails

Where: Sheraton Grand London Park Lane hotel

When: Until 30 September

This Park Lane hotel is channelling flower power for the rest of the summer with a limited edition drinks menu inspired by the tale surrounding King Charles II and the city’s iconic Green Park, which was stripped of its flowers after his wife, Queen Catherine of Braganza, found out he was picking them for his mistress. Sheraton Grand London Park Lane will finally be bringing the flowers back to Green Park through this exclusive menu.

The hotel’s master mixologists have encapsulated the taste of summer through elegantly crafted cocktails including fresh floral flavours such as rose, marigolds and carnations. Expect serves such as Queen Catherine’s Revenge, featuring marigold-yellow absinthe, yellow chartreuse, apricot brandy and finished off with homemade marigold honey syrup.

Whisky Live Perth

What: Perth’s premium whisky sampling event

Where: Pan Pacific Hotel, Perth

When: 5-6 August

This is where the best of high quality whiskies gather under one roof for your tasting pleasure. Returning for 2022, Whisky Live Perth is once again offering a vast array of top-shelf whiskies and spirits from the best distilleries around the world.

The two-day event will feature expert instruction to help cultivate guests’ whisky and fine spirits appreciation as well as multiple masterclasses during each session, all free to attend with a ticket. Even the assortment of gourmet grazing food is included in the price of admission, though anyone looking to hit up the Rare & Old bar for an extra-special limited release dram or a sample from a closed distillery, will need to dig back into their pockets for the privilege, with prices starting at AU$22 (US$15,36) per 15ml.

World Oyster Day with Noilly Prat

What: Noilly Prat cocktails and oysters

Where: The Sussex, Soho and Wright Brothers, Battersea

When: 2-7 August and 1-25 August

To mark World Oyster Day on the 5 August, Noilly Prat, the original French vermouth made by the south of France’s coast, is launching its exclusive oyster and cocktail offering on at The Sussex in Soho, and at the Wright Brothers seafood restaurant in the shadow of Battersea Power Station.

At the former, guests can enjoy a half-dozen oysters accompanied by a Noilly Prat cocktail for £20 (US$24.36) from 2-7 August, while at Wright Brothers Battersea they are offering a dozen delicious Jersey oysters, a tasty selection of Spanish charcuterie, including salchichon, lomo and serrano hams, and chorizo, topped off with two Noilly Prat cocktails for £42 (US$51.15) until 25 August.

Smoke & Mirrors celebrates Singapore Day

What: Singapore’s 57^th birthday marked with The Botanist cocktails

Where: Smoke & Mirrors, Singapore

When: 9-31 August

Smoke & Mirrors is inviting you to join the team and its 180-degree views as it gears up to celebrate Singapore’s 57^th birthday this month.

The bar is marking the occasion by bringing nostalgic flavours and treats fondly remembered by residents of the city to the rooftop bar in partnership with The Botanist gin.

Guests are invited to beat the heat while watching the festivities and fireworks from the rooftop, with cold childhood treats depicted as modern cocktails in hand. Expect The Botanist Gin & Tonic ice cocktail pops featuring island summer flavours such as Mango and Grapefruit and localised favourites, such as Bandung and Sour Plum.

The Madison x Aperol Spritz Terrace

What: Aperol Spritzes with a view

Where: Madison Roof Terrace, The City of London

When: From 11 August

Suns out, Aperol Spritzes out. Madison, owner of the best St Paul views in The City, is stirring things up this month with an exclusive and refreshing cocktail menu brought to you by the orange aperitif of the season.

Kick back on the al fresco terrace and make like you’re in Italy with the tangerine-tinged line-up of serves, from the classic bittersweet Aperol Spritz, through to the limited edition creations dreamt up by Madison, such as the Aperum, a zesty mix of Aperol, Appleton Estate 12-Year-Old, Supasawa, ginger beer and mint, or the Pinaperol Colada, a reinvention of the classic holiday cocktail with Aperol, Koko Kanu, Wray & Nephew, Coco Lopez and pineapple juice.

Aperol took the Speciality Spirits Brand Champion crown in this year’s report published by The Spirits Business.

Cocktails In The City – International Edition

What: The second instalment of the urban cocktail festival

Where: Bedford Square Gardens, London 

When: 11-13 August

Londoners don’t need to worry about cancelled flights this August as Bloomsbury’s urban cocktail festival returns for its second instalment, this time celebrating the diverse international bar influences and experiences found in the capital.

Promising a healthy dose of escapism and double measures of fun, the International Edition of Cocktails in the City invites guests to enjoy a trip around the globe in a matter of sips, alongside a line-up of worldwide street food, live music, entertainment and immersive games.

This is the event to discover cocktail creations from world-renowned bars and mixologists including vibrant tiki-masters Laki Kane, The Beachcomber and Trader Vic’s, all of which are promising to whisk guests away to warmer climates with rum-laced cocktails and tropical vibes.

Rum Insurrection

What: Immersive National Rum Day event

Where: Limin’ Beach Club, Southbank, London

When: 16 August, 5.30pm-9.30pm BST

London might not have an actual beach, but it does have an urban beach bar (which we can all agree is the next best thing) and this National Rum Day, its inviting you to kick off your shoes, sink your toes into the sand and immerse yourself into the world of sugar cane spirits.

The ticketed event (priced at £35/US$42.44 available via Design My Night) will be powered by plentiful rum samples, a live DJ, and complimentary Caribbean canapés throughout the evening.

Ticket holders can attend a Mai Tai Masterclass sponsored by Appleton Estate rum which will delve into the history and origin of the iconic tiki cocktail, before learning how to make the perfect one via a cocktail demo hosted by drinks writer and consultant Tyler Zielinski in partnership with Chris Dennis, brand ambassador for Appleton Estate.

Licorería Limantour X Swift Shoreditch

What: A world-class bar takeover

Where: Swift Shoreditch, London

When: 25 August

Mexico City’s award-winning Licorería Limantour is heading to Shoreditch on Thursday 25 August to show east London how to fiesta like a pro.

From 5pm-8pm BST, the bar’s sister venue Baltra will be serving up its own twist on Apéro alongside delicious and authentic Mexican food, before the team from Licorería Limantour take the wheel from 8pm til late.

Mo Bar hosts The Alchemist

What: The Alchemist takes over Mo Bar

Where: Mo Bar, Singapore

 When: 26 August

Mo Bar at Mandarin Oriental, Singapore, will be getting a taste of British alchemy this month as The Alchemist travels east for an exclusive guest shift.

Taking place from 6pm – 9.30pm SST, the UK bar, known for its molecular mixology, alchemy and craftsmanship, will showcase its theatrical cocktail selections such as the Colour Changing One comprising of Grey Goose Vodka, Briottet Apple, soda, citrus, and ‘magic’; and the smoky Dead Red Zombie with Bacardi Carta Blanca Rum, Wray & Nephew, Grand Marnier, lime, pineapple, cranberry, ‘Zombie Mix’ and smoke.

The guest shift is a part of Mo Bar’s ongoing Nomadic Foragers programme, where the team engages with notable cocktail bars worldwide, bringing a variety of exciting flavour profiles for guests to experience in Singapore.

Drunk Planet Earth

What: A live drinking game show

Where: Easy Lover, Brooklyn NYC

When: 26 August

No, this isn’t a David Attenborough documentary that never made it to production. This is an evening of nature doc viewing with a drinking game thrown in.

Hosted by comedians Brian Morabito (usually seen on Comedy Central) and Stephen Buckley (famed for appearances on UCB), the show revolves around watching a nature documentary, drinking and the audience trying to stump the hosts with animal questions. Each time the hosts get a question wrong, they take a shot. A good one for anyone that has a few fun facts up their sleeve about the lesser-spotted woodpecker.