Aberdeen Cocktail Week to make its return this autumn as 2023 dates announced

By Julia Bryce

February 3 2023, 11:45 am

Gregor Sey, organiser of Aberdeen Cocktail Week, with Tequila Casa team member, Misha. Image: Aberdeen Cocktail Week.

The booziest event in The Granite City will make a welcome return this October as Aberdeen Cocktail Week has finally announced its 2023 dates.

Cocktail lovers and those who enjoy non-alcoholic beverages will be treated to a line-up of excellent drinks that will celebrate the city’s eclectic bar scene.

Taking place from Wednesday 18 to Tuesday 24 October, a number of events, exclusive drinks, discounted cocktails and more will be available for festivalgoers to get stuck into.

Flaming cocktails weren’t uncommon to see throughout the festival. Image: Aberdeen Cocktail Week

Last year around 900 wristbands purchased were purchased for the first installment which saw festivalgoers then take advantage of the offerings available across the city centre venues.

A total of 36 venues signed up to take part last year and 11 have already confirmed they will be participating this year.

They include:

Bartenders Lounge – new for 2023
The Craftsman Company
Dusk
Faffless
Nox
OGV Taproom
Paramount
Revolucion De Cuba
Resident X – new for 2023
Siberia
The Spiritualist

During the celebrations each participating venue must present a signature drink, a £5 drink and a mocktail on their menu. Last October more than 150 cocktails were available to try.

Drinks fans can grab a bargain with early bird tickets which will be on sale until September 17 for £8 for a week pass. They will then increase to £12 for a week-long wristband, £6 for students and day passes will be available from £8.

The event is organised by Gregor Sey, owner of Boozy Events in Aberdeen, and the entrepreneur is looking forward to celebrating Aberdeen’s diverse bar scene with the event once again.

Gregor Sey is the man behind Aberdeen Cocktail Week. Here he is pictured in Siberia Bar and Hotel. Image: Paul Glendell

Making a welcome return to the Aberdeen Cocktail Week festival line-up is the sell-out Boozy Barbecue Brunch organised by the team at Smoke and Soul on Little John Street and Boozy Events.

Nearly 90 people sampled a range of tasty dishes with cocktails as part of the brunch experience last year, and Gregor expects tickets to be snapped up quick for this event and many others like it. Tickets are yet to go on sale and a date is still to be announced.

One of the dishes that was served up at the boozy brunch event at Smoke and Soul. Image: Aberdeen Cocktail Week

A tequila bar, Tequila Casa, also ‘popped up’ in the city centre, and numerous other events like bar takeovers, pub quizzes and tasting nights also took place.

This year Cabezon rum will host a bar takeover and House of Elrick will offer cocktail masterclasses and a food and drink pairing dinner at Aberdeen’s French restaurant, Cafe Boheme.

Another delicious drink that festivalgoers could enjoy. Image: Aberdeen Cocktail Week

Gregor Sey, organiser of the event, said: “I’m thrilled to have played a part in the success of Aberdeen Cocktail Week and bring more awareness to the city’s vibrant bar scene and extra footfall to the city centre.

“It was a pleasure to see the enthusiastic participation of local residents and visitors alike, as they discovered and indulged in the diverse range of cocktails on offer.

“This festival showcased the talent and creativity of our bartenders and I look forward to doing it again this October when Aberdeen Cocktail Week returns following the same successful format, but with plans to go bigger and better!”

Tickets can be purchased from aberdeencocktailweek.com