Once again, Cocktails in the City is coming into serve thirsty Londoners some of the best cocktails London has to offer!
Yes, CitC 2019 Summer Edition is a bringing 25 of London’s most exciting bars i beneath the green canopies of London’s Bedford Square Gardens for a sunny two-day celebration of the city’s unique and diverse drinking scene. Festival-goers will get a chance to enjoy bars from around the city coming together in one gorgeous location on July 12th – 13th.
Bars and a representing brand set up stalls where bartenders presented the brand in a cocktail of their devising to the public for judging, with scores gathered at the end of the weekend.
Expect cocktails from renowned London bars like the new Heads + Tails, the B&H Buildings, Nightjar, and more! And be ready for the appearance of international cocktails bars flying in for the experience!
This year guests can sip their way through new trend-surfing drinks as they re-discover their love for the picnic with all new cocktails, tasting rooms, games and food trucks.
“Cocktails in the City showcases the world’s most inventive and original cocktail bars, bringing together the cream of London’s illustrious cocktail culture, all within sipping distance of each other.
Cocktails in the City is a bar-hopper’s paradise, creating a village of pop-up bars for guests to explore, each with their own unique aesthetic, hosting tastings, workshops, games and of course, a plethora of talented mixologists creating out-of-this world cocktails.”
Learn from the famed industry mavericks driving the city’s cocktail trends. Marvel at their cocktail wizardry and get a sneak peak of the innovative techniques used to create award winning drinks!
CITC 2019 is prepared to dazzle this year, with a whole host of new experiences that leaves the Hoodooist stunned and excited!
Sit back, relax and enjoy luxurious surroundings and sumptuous champagne drinks from London’s most exclusive cocktail institutions.
We got a super special chance to preview a few of the drinks we have lined up for the weekend at the fabulous new B&H Garden Rooms!
Be ready to see Bourne and Hollingsworth themselves at CITC with the pink for summer Ephemera! A definite crowd pleaser, this Picpoul de Pinet based spritzer gives us the light minerality of the wine with the sweeter elderflower of the St. Germain. The light lift of the Huana and bittery finish of the Martini Bitter provide us with a collection of ephemeral flavours for a balanced, light summer drink.
Up next, mammoth Chinatown speakeasy Opium concocts a cocktail that’s a feast for the eyes, the Opium Punch mixes Remy Martin 1738 cognac with oleo saccharum, oolong tea, ume shu and a mystery cordial of everything from lemon grass and gender to honey and malic acid.
From the first burst of floral cognac to the smoky oolong, silky ume shu, firecracker ginger and ending on a length of honey. this gorgeous number is a deceptively strong drink for the summer.
And don’t forget Genuine Liquorette!
This new London venue up ends the occult of bartending and wants to ‘break down the barrier between bartender and customer’ by having you jump right in!
The Cha-Chunker gets you stuck right in, breaking in tinnies to toss in your Beefeater Gin miniatures and ingredients for your own Clover Clubs, Collins and various classic cocktails!
Some favourites from years past include:
The Looking Glass Cocktail Club, Shoreditch – harking back to Maker’s Mark’s history as breadmakers, this cocktail is inspired by Italy’s sweet panettone bread loaf and it’s potent almond flavour.
The Maker’s Baker cocktail mixes Maker’s Mark whiskey, cider reduction with winter spice, Americano vermouth, ‘Liquid Panettone’, and Sinner Bitters. A sweet wintery Manhattan with heavy mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and spices, with lingering almond certainly took centre stage with it’s innovative homemade creations of ‘liquid panettone’ and spiced cider reduction.
Other cocktails presented by LGCC included the Honey Loaf, and Fig Muffin – each an excellent rendition on the baker/distiller theme.
Fifteen, Old Street, came in with another winner! Inspired by Wimbledon’s classic, the Strawberries and Cream.
Inspired by Behn’s Milk Punch, this summery cocktail gets a 300 year update and is a massive mix of Langley’s gin, strawberries, whole milk, Dolin dry vermouth, coconut water, green tea, lemon juice and peels, sugar, pink peppercorns, tarragon and coriander seeds.
And what a fabulous mix it is!
A wonderful well balanced, silky cocktail, sweet without being overbearing and mellowed by the fruit and spices. Absolutely fantastic.
Another great cocktails from CITC’s past is the the Reverend JW Simpson with their Larder Batch: Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon, Pinot Noir and pink peppercorn reduction, cardamom bitters and angostura bitters; with a steak accompaniment. In terms of presentation, it stuck with the theme of the bar and the Four Roses bourbon, and the service was conversational, fun, and effervescent like the event itself. The accompaniment suited both the intense aspects of the drink, the bourbon, and Pinot Noir/pink peppercorn reduction – here the Reverend presents us with a steak dinner in a cocktail format and a nibble; the natural spiciness of the Four Roses Small Batch, and that of the peppercorn and cardamom suits the steak perfectly. The Reverend excelled on all fronts and more.
So if you love your cocktails, get yourself a ticket asap, and see you at Cocktails in the City 2019!
Bedford Square Gardens, London, WC1B
Friday 12th from 5pm – 10pm
Saturday 13th (two sessions) 12pm – 5pm, 5.30pm – 10pm
Tickets are priced at £20 and include a cocktail, multiple complimentary experiences and cocktail booklet.
Highball Hoodoo 