Edinburgh Cocktail Week has announced the schedule for the festival taking place October 7-16. The line-up is the biggest in the event’s history and includes 21 pop-up bars in the Cocktail Village, an interactive Mirror Mirror Bar, headline music acts, and numerous experiential events.
“Each year we continue to grow the festival by introducing new experiences and partnerships,” said Gary Anderson, managing director of Edinburgh Cocktail Week. “This year sees our biggest and best program yet with so many fun new features and events for wristband-holders to enjoy.
“With the cost of everything going up, and people feeling the pinch, we’re proud to offer a festival that is inclusive, with amazing £5 cocktails at 120 bars across the city and free entry to the Cocktail Village. We can’t wait to welcome back local cocktail-lovers, and new visitors to champion Edinburgh’s bar scene.”
The Mirror Mirror Bar located atop the Glasshouse Hotel is an enclosed shimmering neon space where guests will be able to enjoy cocktails by whispering their order to the mirror wall and watch as the cocktail ‘magically’ appears through the looking glass. The wristband holders will indulge in cocktails ‘as they have never experienced before’.
Tickets cost £15 per person and include entry, two cocktails, and a 90-minute reservation, with additional cocktails available from £5.
Additionally, nine ‘prestige’ venues have been announced that will offer festival-goers an ‘elevated’ cocktail experience created by some of the city’s world-class mixologists. These venues include Hey Palu, Harrods Champagne Bar, and Panda & Sons.
The festival has also introduced restaurants to its event program. Wristband-holders can enjoy a complimentary cocktail when they dine at some of the city’s restaurants, including El Cartel, Superico, Luckenbooths, Dine, and Heron.
The Cocktail Village will be open to wristband holders at Festival Square, open daily between 12 pm – 11 pm (BST). Entry is free with a wristband and inside guests can enjoy £5 cocktails from 21 pop-up bars featuring a range of local and international brands including Grey Goose, Tequila Rose, Jack Daniel’s, London Essence, and Stranger’s Point Gin – a new local gin brand that will launch exclusively at the village.
A new addition to the Cocktail Village is a ‘Takeover Bar’ where some of Edinburgh’s top bars collaborate with Bacardi Martini brands; Hey Palu with Bacardi, Commons Club with Patron, Nauticus with Dewar’s, and Hawksmoor with Bombay Sapphire.
New and bespoke experiences will be offered throughout the week, including a 30-minute experience called Dramming in the Dark with The Glenlivet, which will take visitors through ‘a tasting like no other’. The experience will feature expertly curated music and a light show that will reflect the individual tasting notes of three whiskies, contained in edible capsules rather than served in glasses. The sensory whisky tasting experience will be priced at £10 per person.
For more information, check out Edinburgh Cocktail Week’s official website.