Edinburgh Cocktail Week Prelaunch Night

21:00
October 6, 2022

PR invite // All thoughts and opinions are, of course, my own.

The Edinburgh Cocktail Week takes place 7th to the 16th October around the city with partner bars offering £5 cocktails and The Cocktail Village at Festival Square featuring several pop up bars and events.

I went along to the prelaunch to check out some events and some of the cocktails on offer.

I tried a non-alcoholic drink from London Essence Co and my favourite of the evening was no doubt the Espresso Martini Affogato from The Cocktail Mafia which was vanilla ice cream made fresh on an ice plate and then topped with Espresso Martini – it was SO GOOD!

There is music playing – slightly too loud for my own preference as it can be a bit tricky to have a conversation in the main tent – and they also have some live performances. There was a good vibe of people looking to try a variety of cocktails on offer. I hope to have the opportunity to visit some of the partner bars to try their Edinburgh Cocktail Week exclusives as well as it’s such a fun occasion to try somewhere new and an excellent way to do some affordable bar-hopping around Edinburgh.

Dramming in the dark with The Glenlivet

Dramming in the dark was hosted by The Glenlivet inside a seperate room in the main ECW tent on Festival Square. The Glenlivet UK Brand Ambassador David Robinson led the tasting where we tried little sips of three whiskies that we then added to our three cocktails.

There was a raspberry sour, a tropical tipple with orange juice and a highball and we also got to try the Cocktail Capsules that went viral a few years back in London. I’ve had the pleasure of trying these before during my visit to the distillery and they are such a fun and unique way to enjoy a cocktail. The drinks are served paired to various music tracks that are played through your “Silent Disco” headphones that you wear throughout the experience which also has the hosts voice so you can follow along with the instructions. A disco ball and changing lights help control the festive ambience. Tickets to the event needs to be booked online to secure a space.

This is an experience both for whisky drinkers who enjoy a fun twist and for those who have not yet ventured in to the whisky world – don’t miss it!

Gin Tonic Masterclass with The London Essence Co

If you like Gin & Tonics, this might be the event for you. The London Essence Co hosts a masterclass with their UK Brand Ambassador Kirsten using their own product as well as gin from local Edinburgh Gin to guide you through the creation of a Gin & Tonic. There’s a fun citrus spray garnish, delicious grapefruit soda and it was interesting to hear how the tonics, sodas and lemonades are made as the company doesn’t use artificial colours, sweeteners or flavours but focus on extracting natural elements from botanicals for their drinks.

This is the experience for those who enjoy a Gin & Tonic – and grapefruit in particular – and want a guide on how to assemble this refreshing drink including ice, tonic/soda, flavouring, gin and garnish.