Taking place across three days from Thursday 6 – Saturday 8 July, the alfresco festival will showcase the latest trends and flavours from some of the city’s top bars such and give a taste of what’s to come across the season.
In between sampling world-class cocktails in the sunshine, festivalgoers will be able to delight in delicious street food, engage in one of the masterclasses or workshops and take in plenty of live entertainment and music, all set within the beautiful leafy gardens in Bloomsbury.
Over the weekend, guests will be invited to discover the city’s most incredible cocktail bars, all in one spot where they will create a theatre of drinks, unveiling new creations, signature serves and highlighting innovative new brands.
The bar line-up for July includes:
Alma by Sucre | Bourne & Hollingsworth | Chotto Matte | Courvoisier | Florattica | Hacha | Henson’s Bar and Social | Hovarda | Hutong | Nightjar | Oriole | Punch Room | Shoreditch Arts Club | TT Liquor | The Coral Room
With each bar appearing at the festival in pop-up form, guests will experience world-famous signature serves and exclusive new creations from five-star hotel bars and secret speakeasies to the latest openings and industry hangouts.
Drop by Hacha, London’s highly regarded Agaveria, and try their award-winning Mirror Margarita (the first signature cocktail from a bar to go into a national retailer) in collaboration with The Lost Explorer, or indulge in a touch of old school glamour at Nightjar with their Amaro Santoni creation before heading to hidden gem, Bourne & Hollingsworth for a sophisticated spirit of rose Lanique cocktail.
Throughout the 2023 Summer Series, each bar will also be serving a non-alcoholic cocktail, all created using Everleaf’s non-alcoholic aperitifs.
Providing the soundtrack to the summer and making a return to Cocktails in the City for 2023 will be London’s non-stop live music venue The Piano Works. Guests will also be able to try their hand at something new with ice carving workshops hosted by Tito’s Vodka, shake up their own drinks in cocktail masterclasses with TT Liquor and learn all about The Art of Hosting with London Essence & Cocchi. Rotating masterclasses will also be showing on the festival’s Tasting Stage and everyone’s favourite silent disco will also make an appearance for those who love to get lost in music.
New in 2023, guests will be provided with a digital Cocktails In The City loyalty card in partnership with Blade Labs. Visitors will be invited to rate their drinks and experiences in return for complimentary cocktails at participating bars to generate audience voted winners in the following categories, best cocktail, best bar team, best overall experience.
Alongside a mix of bars, brands and experiences, guests at the July edition of Cocktails in the City will also be sample dishes from three amazing street food vendors including Café Pacifico for Mexican delights, Officina 00 for authentic Italian fare and Get The Greek for homemade Greek cooking.
Cocktails in the City Inspiration Edition Cocktail Picks:
Ikiqai by Filip Stribrny at Chotto Matte
Inspired by Chotto Matte’s fusion cuisine, the Ikiqai blends Codigo Blanco Tequila with Americano vermouth alongside avocado & coriander cordial, triple sec and mango puree
Summer Blush by Zoran Peric at Tito’s Vodka
Celebrating the start of the summer and the feeling of positivity that brings, the Summer Blush combines Tito’s Vodka with a refreshing Yuzu citrus mix and homemade tarragon syrup topped with London Essence Peach & Jasmine Soda
Chica Enamorada by Filip Stribrny at Chotto Matte (Non-Alcoholic)
Inspired by the mountains in Peru, the Chica Enamorada is a refreshing non-alcoholic cocktail created using Everleaf Mountain, fresh lime, peach and chica orgeat, topped with London Essence Ginger Ale
For the first time in its history, guests of Cocktails in the City will be able to vote for their favourite cocktail and bar team throughout the Summer Series and have a say in who comes out on top!
Cocktails in the City will continue throughout the summer with The Travel Edition from 17th – 19th August and A Festival of Drinks from 7th – 9th September. Tickets to London’s ultimate alfresco cocktail festival can be purchased here for £22 per person.
Address: Bedford Square Garden, Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3ES
Session times: 12.00 – 16.00 & 17.00 – 22.00