London Cocktail Week prepares to welcome guest bartenders from all over Europe

By Jo Gilbert

Published: 30 September, 2021

London Cocktail Week is kicking off tomorrow (1 October) for another extended month-long celebration of the city’s top bars, with an emphasis on bar takeovers and bartenders flying in from all over Europe.

Following on from last year's event, which managed to take place amid restrictions and Covid, the month-long, city-wide event is back with a roster of events happening all over the London, including masterclasses and immersive experiences, including trade-only events.

A few months ago, organisers wrote an open letter to bartenders to remind them that there is no fee for them to be part of London Cocktail Week, and that the team was available to help plan the guest shifts. Over 30 Italian bars responded, “and have been organised by the brilliant team at Blue Blazer to all come over and run guest shifts at bars across London,” organiser and co-founder Hannah Sharman-Cox told Harpers.

Take overs will be happening all across the month, some at the event’s main bar in Covent Garden and in bars such as Coupette, Bar Liber and Lyaness, to name but a few.

Organisers also addressed the news about the acquisition deal between the event’s parent company, Speciality Drinks and Pernod Ricard, which purchased The Whisky Exchange.

“Whilst this agreement does include ABV Global (London Cocktail Week), nothing will change for us or the festival,” co-founders Sharman-Cox and Siobhan Payne said in a joint statement.

“We are one hundred percent ‘business as usual’. London Cocktail Week has always had a parent company and while that parent company will change, the day to day running of the business does not. We are remaining firmly at the helm of the festival, and will still report directly into [co-founders Sukhinder and Rajbir Singh], who will continue as managing directors of the wider business for the foreseeable future. ABV Global remains a stand-alone business and we are more motivated than ever to ensure that London Cocktail Week is a beacon of joy within our industry.”

The pair reiterated that they want the event to be about “celebration”. With 275 bar partners signed up to take part and a stellar line-up of events “it’s clear to see why the festival is the biggest city-wide celebration of cocktails in the world”.

With a whole month of activations planned, the pair have picked out the highlights for members of the trade specifically. The full trade timetable and link to sign up for a free wristband can be found online.

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