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Top 10
What’s on in March 2023
Looking for ways to fill your longer evenings? These 10 events in March pair perfectly with 7pm sunsets.
From St Patrick’s Day celebrations to a cocktail-fuelled gin and rum festival. As the seasons change, more events are popping up all over the world.
Rum fans will be pleased to see two opportunities to get their sugar cane fix this month, while those looking for the chance to immerse yourself in the world of Cognac for the day will enjoy one particular spirits show.
Keep reading to find out what’s going down in the world of spirits events as we dip into spring.
The Rum Room
What: East London Liquor Co and Malin + Goetz launch The Rum Room
Where: Malin + Goetz, Regent Street, London
When: Until 26 March
The sun will be shining on Regent Street this March as East London Liquor Co partners with beauty brand Malin + Goetz to open The Rum Room, located on the first floor of their Regent Street store.
This converted bar will be serving East London Liquor’s Rum and Rarer Rum in pre-batched cocktails, as well as their Rum & Ginger ready-to-drink cans.
Simply sign up to their newsletter by scanning a QR code and get a drink on the house (pre-batched cocktails are served on Saturday afternoons and cans the rest of the week).
The Rum Room is open from now until 26 March, with consumer masterclasses hosted on 20 March to round off this immersive experience with a bang.
Sapling Spirits Tree Planting Festival
What: A day of tree planting, eco-cocktails and live music
Where: Mill End Estate in Kidlington, Oxfordshire
When: 6 March
Looking to do some good this month? Sapling Spirits, the world’s first climate-positive British-made spirits brand, is inviting you to spend a day giving back to the planet.
Volunteers will be welcomed to travel to the Oxfordshire countryside for a day of tree planting, eco-cocktail masterclasses, local food trucks and a talk from sustainable packaging brand, Notpla, and at the end of the day, there will be a whole new forest to show for it.
To volunteer, sign up via www.saplingspirits.com/pages/tree-planting-sign-up
Irish whiskey tasting experience
What: The beginning of St Patrick’s Day celebrations
Where: Darby’s, London
When: 9 March
Newly launched drinks retailer The Single Malt Shop will be kicking off the St Patrick’s Day celebrations early by hosting an exclusive, first-class Irish whiskey tasting experience.
The evening will see leading Irish whiskey educator Charlie McCarthy guiding guests through five of the best, most coveted Irish whiskeys, all of which are exclusively bottled for The Single Malt Shop, or exclusive to the retailer in the UK.
The journey through the blends will be accompanied by a menu of bespoke dishes by Darby’s, which is owned by renowned Dublin chef, Robin Gill.
While tickets are only £50 (US$60.40) per head, the tasting whiskeys in the line-up will be worth between £56-£385 (US$67.66-$465.15).
Tickets are available at www.feverup.com/m/125843
International Women’s Day at Seed Library
What: A celebration of female leaders
Where: Seed Library, Shoreditch
When: 9 March
East London-based Seed Library will be celebrating female talent within the bar world for this year’s International Women’s Day (8 March) with a special event hosted by Sarah Berardi of Hendrick’s Gin and Nicola Sykes of Maker’s Mark the following evening.
Berardi and Sykes will be joined by top female brand ambassadors to create an exclusive one-off menu that will be served all evening. Priced at £11 (US$13.29) per drink, the menu will feature up to eight cocktails curated using a variety of spirits from different portfolios, including gin, Scotch and Tequila, and will run alongside the regular Seed Library menu.
Profits from the evening will be donated to The Girls’ Network, a charity that inspires and empowers girls from the least advantaged communities by connecting them with a mentor and a network of professional female role models.
The Cognac Show
What: The Whisky Exchange presents The Cognac Show
Where: Glaziers Hall, London Bridge
When: 10 March
The Cognac Show makes its return to London a month earlier than usual this year to help Cognac lovers and novices alike discover all there is to love about the renowned region and its produce.
Taking over Glaziers Hall in London Bridge, visitors will have the choice of more than 150 Cognacs to sample, including 30 houses, with over 40 different brands, as well as more than 20 different Calvados and Armagnacs to try. From famous houses to hidden gems, visitors can discover the best of the French spirit and sip their way to discovery.
In addition, the team from Bar Luciole, Cognac’s coveted cocktail bar, will be stirring up delicious Cognac cocktails throughout the show to highlight how versatile the liquid can be.
Tickets, priced between £50-65 (US$60.40-$78.50) each, will include two cocktail tokens, a dream pour token exchangeable for a Cognac sample costing £250-£499 (US$302-$603) per bottle, access to the producers on site and an opportunity to attend masterclasses and demonstrations throughout the day for a chance to discover more about the region.
The Gin & Rum Festival
What: A celebration of all things gin and rum
Where: Manchester, UK
When: 10 March
Mark your calendars The Gin & Rum Festival is landing in Manchester this March, and is bringing with it the best of the two versatile categories.
With more than 120 of the best botanical and sugar cane-based spirits on the market, including the best of British, its one event connoisseurs won’t want to miss.
Furthermore, Soho Street Cocktails will be on hand as the official cocktail partner, and will bring its selection of ‘taste-first’ ready-to-serve cocktails for festival goers, including the party-ready, Piña Colada, Strawberry Daiquiri, Pornstar Martini, and Espresso Martini pouches.
Oriole pop-up at The Hoxton
What: The Smithfields speakeasy returns
Where: Albie at The Hoxton, Southwark, London
When: From 16 March
After closing the doors to its Smithfield home on New Year’s Eve 2022, Oriole is rising from the ashes and popping up for three months at The Hoxton.
The season-long residency will see the team bring their unique mix of exotic cocktails, live music and exquisitely paired dishes just a short hop across Blackfriars Bridge from their original home.
Drawing on the migration patterns and habitats of its avian namesake, the re-opening menu will continue to celebrate the ingredients and traditions of the Old World, the New World and the Orient against a nightly backdrop of live swing, jazz and blues.
Expect cocktails such as the Chachani, an infusion of Tequila, pisco, passionfruit kombucha, hibiscus agua fresca and lime juice; and the Cape Verde, which blends gin, buchu leaf Port, fino Sherry, Amaro Santoni and pink grapefruit tonic.
St Patrick’s Day party
What: A late-night celebration with the best of Irish produce
Where: 40ft Brewery, Dalston, London
When: 17 March
40ft Brewery and Acme Fire Cult is teaming up with Irish bar Homeboy to host an all-out St Patrick’s Day party in its yard.
The evening is set to showcase the very best of Irish produce and talent, with a specially brewed 40ft Brewery stout, one-off dishes from chefs Andrew Clarke and Daniel Watkins, guest cocktail serves from the Homeboy team, and a soundtrack of live sets from DJs hailing from Ireland and beyond, going on until 2am.
Spirit of Perthshire
What: Whisky festival celebrating the best of Perthshire has to offer
Where: Dewars Centre, Perth, Scotland
When: 18 March
Following the cancellation of this annual Whisky Festival due to the passing of HRH Queen Elizabeth II last year, the Spirit of Perthshire will now be taking place this month, and the delayed date has meant the organisers have been able to add even more to the event line-up.
Expect masterclasses from Finn Thompson Whisky and Lindores Abbey Distillery, as well as tastings, escorted distillery tours, 30 exhibitors offering samples of their drams, and a goody bag.
Tickets are priced from £25 (US$30.20) each, and the event kicks off at midday.
Scarfes Bar 10th anniversary takeovers
What: Scarfes Bar celebrates its 10th birthday with a world tour
Where: Dark Side, Hong Kong
When: 21-23 March
Scarfes Bar at Rosewood London has launched a global bar tour to celebrate its 10th anniversary, and this month its heading to Hong Kong to showcase its 10th anniversary menu at renowned cocktail bar Dark Side.
Don’t worry if you can’t make this month’s takeover, as the celebrations will continue across 10 different iconic destinations over the next five months.
At each of these, guests will be able to enjoy the anniversary menu composed of 20 serves, half of which will celebrate the 10 best-selling drinks from the bar’s previous menus, while the other half will be made up of 10 new creations.
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