Get ready Leeds, Cocktails in the City is back!

Katharine Gemmell
13 February 2019

Sip and smell your way through a sensory cocktail experience, featuring some of Leeds' best bars in collaboration with the UK's best drinks

Cocktails in the City is coming back to Leeds this year for a two-day cocktail extravaganza, featuring collaborations between popular drink brands and the city's best bars.

From Fri 1 – Sat 2 March, the annual event will take over Leeds Town Hall and aims to bring guests on a sensory tour through 16 of the city's bars – without anyone having to leave the building. It features pop-up cocktail bars from the likes of Angelica, Below Stairs, Harvey Nichols, Vice and Virtue and The Watermark, as well as food and DJs to complete the night.

The event is unique in that it is the only cocktail festival in the UK that combines a city's best bars with interesting brands to create collaborative and creative cocktails. Each bar competes by creating three signature cocktails and putting on tasting tables, with one bar being crowned the overall winner of the night. This year, organisers are putting the skills of the hard-working bartender in the spotlight through mini bar battles and new sensory drink experiences.

One new experience for 2019 is the Cocktail Storybook, wherein participants go on an adventure with Below Stairs and every decision made impacts the final flavour of the drink. There is also another kind of journey with The Tasting Rooms, where guests are invited to make their way through three flavour chambers of craft spirits. Other experiences are drinks and food pairings with Vice & Virtue and a culinary collaboration from Leeds' chefs Luke Downing (Dough, Vice and Virtue) and Matt Healy (x The Foundary).

Elsewhere there is a cocktail terrace with glamorous serves from Angelica and Harvey Nichols, a kitchen-style party from new Leeds venue The Watermark, and a botanical wall created by Dough in the City with a DIY garnish wall. On top of all this, the night will honour Negroni's 100th birthday year with special twisted negronis served to toast the occasion.

Founder of Cocktails in the City, Andrew Scutts, commented: 'In 2019 we are working closely with all of our hand-picked bars to put on the most interactive and engaging cocktail event in our history. We will be challenging the senses, inviting guests to discover flavours in new ways and enjoy our numerous masterclasses and tasting sessions.'

Cocktails in the City also makes stops in London (Thu 4-Sat 6 April & Fri 12-Sat 13 Jul), Edinburgh (Fri 3-Sat 4 May), Manchester (Fri 17-Sat 18 May) and Liverpool (Fri 7-Sat 8 Jun). Tickets to the Leeds event cost £10-12.50 and includes a cocktail on arrival, with any additional drinks costing £6.50.

The full 2019 line-up for Leeds is Angelica, Aperitivo, Below Stairs, Blind Tyger, The Botanist, The Domino, Dough, East 59th, Feed, Harvey Nichols Fourth Floor Bar, Issho, Lost and Found, Manahatta, Smokestack, Tattu, Vice and Virtue and The Watermark.