Bartenders across the city have hailed the first Aberdeen Cocktail Week a success after shaking and stirring up hundreds of drinks.
The inaugural event came to a close on Monday night with a closing party at city centre speakeasy The Tippling House.
Organisers have confirmed a total of 876 wristbands were sold, with more than 900 in use throughout the week with the addition of complimentary bands counted.
Across the city, 36 bars took participated in the seven-day festival, slinging drinks for the masses from Tuesday October 18 to Monday October 24.
Special menus were created specifically for the festival which included a boozy brunch at Smoke and Soul, various takeovers at Siberia Bar and Hotel and The Tippling House and gin and cocktail tastings at Orchid. A tequila bar called Tequila Casa, which operated for six of the seven days, plus a “trash bar” also ran as pop ups for the event.
Each venue presented a signature drink, a £5 drink and a mocktail on their menu with 157 recipes devised and enjoyed.
Businesses involved included Barbelow, The Old Workshop, The Pigs Wings, Boho Bar, 21 Crimes and many more.
Aberdeen Cocktail Week festival highlights
Gregor Sey, the man who organised the event and one half of Aberdeen cocktail mixology firm, Boozy Events, is delighted with the turnout of bars participating and festivalgoers keen to get involved.
He said: “The success of Aberdeen Cocktail Week is not measured by wristband sales alone, but by the satisfaction of attendees and the benefits to the city.
“It is great to hear from bartenders that the event helped drive new customers through doors and increased sales, especially during the daytime midweek.
“Some attendees have already shared their own positive experiences, with many saying they felt part of something special and discovered new venues. I think this early feedback shows it has been a success.”
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Hosting a variety of events, the team at Siberia served more than 300 cocktails from their bespoke menu and
Stuart McPhee, director of the bar and hotel added: “It was a resounding success and we experienced an uplift in sales across the week with different people from different demographics coming in to enjoy our venue.
“Our staff did a fantastic job ensuring that customers were well informed and looked after. It’s our hope that the event can go from strength to strength and make it a destination festival for the city. Edinburgh’s is only nine years old and is now the biggest in Europe, we have such a brilliant hospitality sector in our city it deserves a showpiece on a stage like this!”
And Martin Farmer, operations director for Monkey Bars Limited, the drinks group behind 99 Bar and Kitchen and Orchid, says having venues create their own menus and offering them at prices that helped entice guests in more was a great way to raise the profile of the businesses involved.
The team at Orchid showcased the old technique of clarification with milk to create a twist on their classic Pink Orchid, of which hundreds were sold. At 99, they nodded to local gin makers by using five north-east brands in their Zombie which is the venue’s signature drink.
“Aberdeen Cocktail Week was a great success not only for Orchid and Ninety-Nine but for the city itself. To have so many venues create bespoke cocktails and offer them at prices that helped entice the guests in can only help raise the profile of what is already a forward thinking cocktail city.
“We tip our hat to the team behind the organising of a fantastic week and I look forward to 2023.”
Marketing manager of Boho Bar, Becky Harrison echoed her peers and said the event was a “huge success” and was a great chance for their team to showcase their skills to a fun and knowledgeable audience.
Aberdeen Cocktail Week 2023
And Gregor says those who enjoyed Aberdeen Cocktail Week can expect even more next year with plans to grow the event into an even bigger celebration of bartending and hospitality.
“My long-term goal is to develop it from a local festival, to a destination event that brings people into the city from far and wide. Not just to enjoy the amazing cocktail bars, but also the city’s hotels, restaurants, sights and experiences.
“Thank you to everyone who helped make the inaugural event a success and to those venues who have already pledged support for the next one.”
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