First 20 venues announced for return of Aberdeen Cocktail Week

A number of new venues are included for the event, which will take place in October.

By Chris Cromar

August 25 2023, 1:01 pm

Bartenders Lounge, which is owned by Craig Scott, is one of the venues on this year's list. Image: Aberdeen Cocktail Week.

The first 20 venues of Aberdeen Cocktail Week, which takes place in October, has been announced by its organiser today.

Running from October 18-24, attendees are encouraged to explore the city’s bar and hospitality scene by sampling exclusive cocktails while enjoying a range of different deals.

Announcing the first 20 venues that will participate in this year’s festival, organiser Gregor Sey has plenty of surprises up his sleeve for the celebration.

Three cocktails on a table. — Cocktails from Ninety-Nine will be on offer at this year’s event. Image: Aberdeen Cocktail Week.

Four new city centre bars that have signed up are Bartenders Lounge, Common Sense, Resident X and Smoke and Soul’s The Firepit.

Bartenders Lounge, which is located at Golden Square, recently received three nominations for this year’s Scottish Bar and Pub Awards.

The bar’s owner, Craig Scott said: “Accessibility and well made cocktails have been the foundation of Bartenders Lounge since our doors opened. This is why we are excited to be taking part in Aberdeen Cocktail Week 2023.

‘High level of craftmanship by bartenders’

“At Bartenders Lounge you can expect to see an exclusive list of carefully curated cocktails featuring spirits from Angus Alchemy, our brand partner for Aberdeen Cocktail Week.

“Cocktail Week is an opportunity for Aberdonians to enjoy the high level of craftsmanship by bartenders across the city. Aberdeen has produced some of the best bartenders in the country, so to know there’s a week dedicated to tasting their work at a discounted rate is amazing and we can’t wait for it to begin.”

The full list of the 20 venues that have been announced so far are:

Bartenders Lounge
Chop Bar and Grill
Common Sense
Dusk
Faffless
Ninety-Nine
No. 10 Bar and Restaurant
Nox
OGV Taproom
Orchid

Cocktail on table with hand on it. — Cocktails from Orchid will be available during Aberdeen Cocktail Week. Image: Aberdeen Cocktail Week.

Paramount
Revolucion De Cuba
Resident X
Siberia
The Craftsman Company
The Esslemont
The Firepit
The Ivy Lodge
The Spiritualist
Under The Hammer

All of these, including those still to be announced, will be shaking up a menu of special festival cocktails which will only be available to wristband holders.

Man and woman standing next to each other making cocktails. — Aberdeen Cocktail Week organiser Gregor Sey and mixologist Misha. Image: Aberdeen Cocktail Week.

Mr Sey added: “Aberdeen’s hospitality scene continues to punch above its weight and this festival will be showcasing the best of the city with a mixed variety of top venues taking part.

“Additionally, many of the new venues involved are less than a year old, so returning attendees have some different venues to explore and tick off their guidebook.”

Every menu will have at least one cocktail priced at £5 available for the entire week, with the full line-up of drinks to be shared closer to the event.

Early bird tickets on sale now

Unique mixology workshops, specially crafted menus and exclusive food and drink experiences will give attendees plenty of choice when choosing venues that are in the festival guide.

There will be a big focus on local producers, while there will be low and non-alcohol drinks available for those driving or looking for alternative options.

Discounted early bird wristbands are available now at £8 for the week and £6 for students and Blue Light card holders, with this increasing to £12 when these have sold out.