By Paige Robinson
Aberdeen Cocktail week is returning to the granite city for its third year with its full line up of venues now announced.
The event, running from Wednesday, 16 October until 23 October, promises to highlight the city’s bartending talent and their innovative cocktail creations.
Aberdeen Cocktail Week 2024 will feature a diverse range of expertly crafted drinks, including non-alcoholic options, ensuring all attendees can enjoy the creative mixology regardless of their drinking preferences.
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
Why? Free to subscribe, no paywall, daily business news digest.
Larder Magazine recently attended a preview of Aberdeen’s upcoming Cocktail Week, embarking on a whirlwind tour of the city’s best bars.
The tour began at The Albyn, where established bartender Andy Stewart, boasting over two decades of industry experience, expertly crafted the Hadron Colado.
Next, Monty’s wine bar refreshed palates with their ‘PPE’ (Pineau des Charentes & Pignoletto) cocktail.
The third stop was at ShaperShifters bar, where skilled bartender Cameron impressed with his Strawberry Mezcal Sour and gave a cocktail making masterclass.
The night finished at Arcadia, where attendees sipped on the playfully named Dance Dance Revolution cocktail and a slice from Big Manny’s Pizza.
This preview highlighted the diverse and creative cocktail offerings and the fact that many participating venues offer food options, making Aberdeen Cocktail Week an ideal opportunity for people to explore new drink and dining experiences throughout the city.
Speaking with the organisers, Gregor Sey and Charlie Bain, are enthusiastic about the upcoming event and its focus on celebrating local bartending talent and ingredients from the North East.
Gregor Sey emphasised the festival’s commitment to showcasing individual bartenders’ creativity, he said: “Every single cocktail, with a few exceptions, has been created by a bartender exclusively for the festival and on the menu it will have the bartenders name.”
“Some are a team effort or an old favourite from a past menu. We say to bartenders don’t just create something that works for the venue, but also something that is your own style.”
In this approach, bartenders have the opportunity to introduce their distinctive flair into a venue’s cocktail offerings, much like how chefs infuse their culinary expertise into a restaurant’s menu.
Charlie noted the unique position of Aberdeen in the cocktail scene, he said: “Aberdeen is the underdog and its understated, the proof is from the bartender and mixology awards, the Aberdeen cocktail scene is bigging bartenders up and if you live here, this is a chance to try their creations.”
He added: “We all look at this as artists and their blank canvas, and what each of them brings to it is unique, not even to each bar but each year. It’s something that needs to be showcased and celebrated.”
Local Producers
The festival also aims to highlight the North East’s rich food and drink scene, with a particular emphasis on local producers.
Many cocktails will feature ingredients sourced from the region, and those showcasing local producers will be priced at £6.
This focus on local collaboration extends beyond spirits to include other ingredients, such as The Old Workshop Bar, who is using honey in their cocktail from a local producer.
Charlie said: “What other nations have whisky, gins and rums distilleries like we do? Everything is on our doorstop, and the fact we are highlighting this is the obvious choice to do so.”
Gregor concluded: “A lot of what’s being highlighted at Aberdeen Cocktail Week has already existed before; the cocktails are new, but the bartenders, venues, creativity and a lot of the ingredients have always been here, and this is an opportunity to showcase them in ways it hasn’t before.”
Participating venues will offer specially curated cocktail menus, showcasing their mixologists’ creativity and wristband holders can enjoy drinks from £5-£6.
With 31 venues and 80 plus cocktails, you’re probably going to find a new favourite bar in Aberdeen to visit again!
Venues taking part include:
Codonas, Arcadia Bar and Games, Bartenders Lounge, BrewDog Castlegate, BrewDog Aberdeen, BrewDog Union Square, College Bar, Common Sense Coffee House and Bar, Dusk, Malmaison, Monty’s Wine Bar, McGinty’s Meal An’ Ale, Ninety-Nine, No.10 Bar & Restaurant, Orchid, Revolution, ShapeShifters, Siberia Bar & Hotel, Soul, Tarragon On The Terrace, The Albyn, The Craftsman Company, The Esslemont, The Firepit, The Ivy Lodge, The Noose and Monkey, The Old Workshop Bar, The Pigs Wings, The Tilted Wig, The Tippling House and Under The Hammer!
For more information on Aberdeen Cocktail Week and to get a wristband for the event, visit AberdeenCocktailWeek.com.
