Aberdeen Cocktail Week is back with an exciting lineup, promising to be a highlight of the city’s autumn events. Scheduled from October 16 to 23, 2024, this third annual festival celebrates Aberdeen’s vibrant bar and hospitality scene, offering cocktail enthusiasts a week-long extravaganza of expertly crafted drinks.
Aberdeen Business News and Larder magazine were recently invited to an exclusive press preview cocktail tour at four participating venues: The Albyn, Monty’s Wine Bar, Shapeshifters, and Arcadia. This tour provided a fun and insightful glimpse into the creative offerings of the festival. Attendees sampled headline cocktails and alcohol-free options that will be available during the event.
The tour began at The Albyn, where seasoned cocktail veteran Andy Stewart introduced us to the creatively named Hadron Colada and the alcohol-free Monster Rush, a mocktail take on the espresso martini. This coffee-rich drink was a personal favourite of the night, it was absolutely delicious. I also had a go of making my own Jelly alcohol-free cocktail while being guided by Andy
At Monty’s Wine Bar, we continued our journey with delightful concoctions including an elderflower spritz and The Pineau de Charente, a blend of unfermented grape juice, cognac, and sparkling wine, which has been designated as the ‘PPE’. It is an excellent choice for those who enjoy incorporating wine into their drinks.
Next was Shapeshifters, where staff impressed us with Strawberry Mezcal Sours and a booze-free Tal’n Stormy. The expert bartenders at Shapeshifters are offering four special cocktails for Aberdeen Restaurant Week. The Strawberry Mezcal Sour features Ojo De Tigre Mezcal, clarified strawberries, Giffard Fraise De Bois, citrus, and Ms Better’s Bitters. The Tal’n Stormy was a refreshingly light ginger-ale-focused mocktail for the non-drinkers.
Here we also met Gregor Sey and Charlie Bain, the experts behind Aberdeen Cocktail Week. Commenting on the reasoning behind ABZ CW Gregor Sey, said: “We want to highlight these bartenders and mixologists- the artists that create their work- and to try something that you might look on paper and think, is that going to work, and then seeing it come to life.
He continued… “I’ve been looking up the bars, for many weeks, and seeing it all coming to life, seeing what was on a computer screen last week but at a venue today, I love it. And, also seeing people going around with the wristbands is ace.”
“Not every bartender is in the role because they have a passion for cocktails, they might have just gone into the role, or as a temporary position, but there are some people in that group who are going to go to do incredible things in the hospitality scene, whether it’s setting up their own bars and restaurants and if we can play a part of that bigger story, that’s great for us.
Charlie Bain commented: “Aberdeen punches way above its weight, when you go to Edinburgh and Glasgow you know what to expect, but with Aberdeen its the unknown.”
Our final stop of the night, Arcadia served a creamy Salted Caramel mixed drink called ‘Dance Dance Revolution’ and a sweet Candy Floss-laden ‘Pink Cadillac’ for those staying off the booze. We were also treated to a slice of Big Manny’s pizza and had a few shots on the arcade games to end off the night.
The cocktails were not only visually striking but also incredibly tasty and rich, offering many different flavours and tastes to enjoy.
Festival Highlights
- Exclusive Menus: Participating venues will offer specially curated cocktail menus, showcasing their mixologists’ creativity and skill.
- Fixed-Price Options: Wristband holders can enjoy signature cocktails at attractive price points of £5-£6.
- Diverse Venues: Around 20 establishments across Aberdeen have already signed up, including bars, pubs, clubs, restaurants, and cafes.
ARC Participants
This year’s festival features a mix of returning favourites and exciting newcomers:
- 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 Bar and Kitchen
- 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
- Under The Hammer
What to Expect
Attendees can look forward to a week of cocktail exploration and innovation. Many venues will also offer food pairings, allowing festival-goers to enjoy delicious bites alongside their drinks. Non-alcoholic options will be available to ensure inclusivity for all.
How to Participate
Early bird wristbands are available online from £8, granting access to exclusive discounts and special menus throughout the week. With last year’s event seeing over 22,000 cocktails poured, cocktail lovers are encouraged to secure their spots early for this highly anticipated celebration of Aberdeen’s bartending talent.
Local entrepreneur Gregor Sey founded Aberdeen Cocktail Week back in 2022 and is the owner of Cocktail Events UK. He says the event is now a big part of Aberdeen’s annual event calendar and something the public looks forward to.
Sey stated: “We’ve worked hard these past few years to shine a light on the amazing bar and hospitality talent in Aberdeen. The festival is a great platform for venues to show off their creativity and for individuals to think innovatively about how they’d like to deliver incredible drinks.”
“The city is home to some outstanding talent and we’ve seen bartenders go on to achieve great things in London and across the world after training in Aberdeen, so we’re delighted to bring an event like this to the public.”Don’t miss out on this opportunity to sip and savour the best cocktails Aberdeen has to offer.”
