Cocktail events to look out for in Leeds

Image courtesy of The Cocktail Experience

It’s all about cocktails right now. You may like your wine bone-dry or your beer ice cold, but something about the alchemy of mixing spirits inspires us to be adventurous. Perhaps it’s the showmanship of the preparation or the variety in the presentation (who doesn’t get excited by a flaming piece of citrus in their drink), but Leeds can’t get enough of cocktails at the moment.

Here are three upcoming cocktail events that will go straight to your head.

THE LEEDS COCKTAIL EXPERIENCE – 3rd March

Last year launched the Leeds Cocktail Experience and now they’re back for a second year of shaking, stirring and mixing. With guest DJs doing a different kind of mixing and a huge selection of independent bars presenting their cocktails, glitzy events venue Aspire will be the place for bespoke cocktails this Friday.

Returning mixologists from The Alchemist, Pintura, Manhatta and Revolucion de Cuba will be showcasing their talents and the upstairs bar will taken over by esteemed champagne producers Moët & Chandon. Tickets are £15 and VIP Golden tickets are £25, which includes two free cocktails and a glass of champagne.

www.thecocktailexperience.co.uk

COCKTAILS IN THE CITY – 6th & 7th April

For those who like a different atmosphere when sipping their margaritas, Leeds Town Hall will be opening the doors to its hidden depths for the fifth anniversary of this cocktail festival. There will be themed food and drink experiences in the Crypt, the Courtroom and the Victorian Prison Cells – and you can even look across the city as you drink in the Clock Tower.

You can also expect live music, street food and perhaps a few surprises (last year featured a secret carnival and a Tick Tock Unlock room in the prison cells), along with huge array of guest bars making new flavour fusions. Tickets are £12 and include two cocktails and a Cocktails in the City membership card.

www.cocktailsinthecity.co.uk/Leeds/

GINPOSIUM – 13th April

Tucked under the railway arches of Call’s Landing, Latitude is possibly the best independent wine shop in Leeds, but they also showcase an impressive array of liquors. Now they are presenting Ginposium, a gin-focussed evening in the iconic Lambert’s Yard on Lower Briggate.

Eight local gin producers will be showing off their wares and there will be a selection of gin-based cocktails and canapés. Early-bird tickets are £20 and include samples of all the gins and two free cocktails. Lovers of ‘mother’s ruin’ be warned – there will be plenty of gin to go around.

www.latitudewine.co.uk.