London Cocktail Week is one day old and I already feel one year older.
Every year the week that celebrates all things cocktails gets a little bit bigger, a little bit crazier and a whole lot more fun. After just one day we can already tell this year is going to keep that trend going.
The day kicked off with the annual UPPL Magazine Mash Up at London Cocktail Club. For those unaware of UPPL it’s an excuse for Monin’s James Coston, Plantation’s Paul McFadyen and LCC’s JJ Goodman to go around the country, getting drunk and having a grand old time.
Each year they end up with ‘winners’ from each city who head down to London to compete in the final and bounce balls into cups of punch amid much excitement for a very large trophy. Before the final they invite the media down to get them drunk, embarrass them in a game they spend all year practicing and hope we write about it. Job done boys.
For the record the winners were the exceptionally talented Spirits Business girls who took out Team Plantation in the final without even having to resort to throwing ‘The Old Macca’. BarLifeUK came in a very respectable third, in no small way thanks to Jennie Rae’s ability with balls.
Before the evening festivities we decided to pop into this years LCW main home at Old Spitalfields Market, and if you only do one thing this week it should be that.
A huge chunk of area has been cornered off for booze related goodness with some fantastic brands showcasing great drinks. It is also a great place to bump into old friends or try and avoid old idiots, you can decide which option to choose if you see us down there in the next few days.
Old Bar Superstar Takedown
Only in its second year but already a must attend fixture on the LCW todo list is Old Bar Superstar. A night where a group of old giffers take on a bunch of young pups making drinks and fools of themselves in equal measure to garner votes from the adoring public.
Pernod Ricard really out did themselves this year basing the event in an old boxing venue complete with full sized ring to allow the pre-shaking prancing from each team to take place. This year saw the Old Bar Stars team consisting of Captain Ben Reed, Jake Burger, Chris Edwards, John Gakuru, Dre Masso and Charles Vexenat togged up as Ghostbusters complete with water guns.
If it was a fancy dress award however the New Bar Stars Captained by Ali Reynolds and featuring Josh Reynolds, Bobby Hiddleston, Maya Tarrant, Remy Savage and Russell Burgess would have walked it with their Star Wars outfits including Russell as Princess Leia which is an image we will not be able to get out of our heads for a long time, no matter how hard we try.
It was however not enough to stop the Old Bar Boys retaining their title and bragging rights which will undoubtably be well used in the months to come.
With the Pernod Ricard BEAT team back behind the bar the drinks flowed and it was time for the legendary ‘White Dog’ to take the stage and get the dance floor jumping.
It was a great start to the week and there is plenty more where that came from with more events than ever to head to. If you want to know exactly what’s going on head to DrinkUp.London here to check out a day by day breakdown and get your free trade wristband.