Lost Weekend Gets Drunk! 7 – 9 October

LONDON gets boozy this week, with London Cocktail Week (and the arrival of autumn) serving as the common excuse for all those hangovers. Bars and local watering holes around town celebrate Cocktail Week with a calendar full of events for the cheerful, from tasting sessions and enticing menu changes to out-and-out alcoholic celebrations like the RumFest. Kind as we are, instead of digging our hands deep in the concept of cocktails, London Confidential has put the perfect all-round drinking experience together for our beloved readers. Cheers!

Prepare Yourself For The Weekend At London Bierfest
Taking place from Wednesday to Friday, the London Bierfest is by far the best starting point to a week of boozing – besides being genuinely not an event to be missed. Old Billingsgate Market has been transformed into a traditional Bavarian Bier Hall, complete with German busty beer ladies and an ‘oompah' band. Bitberger brewers have selected their best beers to present at the fest, including Licher Weizen (light wheat beer) and Kӧstritzer Schwarzbier (black beer) among others to caress the throat and wash down the German sausages. However, perhaps you’ll have the most fun after a visit to the Bierfest Shop, where you can buy hats, moustaches and wigs.

Varied prices

Main Hall

Old Billingsgate Market

16 Lower Thames Street

EC3R 6DX

Thursday 6 October (from 5:30pm) and Friday 7 October (from 1pm)

Then Head To Kettners To Try Their New Cocktail Menu…
The real party starts on Friday 7 October, when London Cocktail Week celebrates its grand opening throughout town. At iconic champagne bar Kettner’s, celebratory drinks can be chosen from a brand new cocktail menu. Kettner’s has been around Soho since 1867 (nearly a century and a half), so mixologist Brendan Stegmann thought it would be fun to look into the bars past and honour those scandalous characters who regularly stumbled out of Kettner’s. The High And Wilde is inspired by Oscar Wilde, and made up from Green Fairy, sugar and peach liqueur, topped with prosecco and garnished with fennel, while the Sour VII, created with Edward VII in mind, is a beguiling blend of Plymouth Gin, fresh grapefruit and rhubarb bitters. Other historic icons immortalized with their own cocktail include Lilly Langtry.

Prices between £8.50 and £10

Kettner’s

29 Romilly Street

W1D 5HP

From Friday 7 October

 Or For Something Different, Enjoy Cocktails In Après-Ski Style At Cantina
Sadly, the Great British Summer has come to an end at last, with soaring temperatures at the beginning of this month. To make the transition into autumn mode a bit easier, you can dive right into the season at Cantina del Ponte. Italy’s most glamorous ski resort Cortina d’Ampezzo is now within reach, in miniature form. Cantina has recreated the Dolomite scenery, complete with a ski chalet and cosy blankets. In addition, the bar will serve a special selection of Italian winter cocktails, which will warm you up from the inside. The Caffe alla Valdostana, for example, is a coffee with an edge, mixed with grappa (brandy), cinnamon and cloves, and so is the Cantina Coffee, served with grappa and strega (liqueur). The other cocktails are equally enticing, such as the Hot Mojito…

Varied prices

Cantina del Ponte

36c Shad Thames
SE1 2YE

Until Sunday 13 November

Seek Out The Chocolate Truffle At Dukes London
Would you find yourself in the position of feeling like living it up, rather than to feast like the Germans, to celebrate the scandalous lives of those from the past or to get your skis out, perhaps you should head to Dukes. Inside the Mayfair boutique hotel that goes by the same name, you’ll find the newest addition to the hotel’s drinking dens. For London Cocktail Week, mixologist Alessandro Palazzi experimented with Mozart Dry Chocolate liqueur, a dry chocolate spirit that manages to taste like crispy chocolate, despite being crystal clear. The result is a mix between chocolately Mozart liqueur, bubbly Perrier Jouet champagne and fruity Belle Brillet pear liqueur. The cherry on top is a Mozart chocolate ball, sunk into the glass.

£15

PJ Lounge

Dukes Hotel

35 – 36 Saint James's Place
SW1A 1NY

From Friday 7 October

And When You Had Enough, Cool Down With Art And Music In Brick Lane
Celebrating their 200^th anniversary, Warner/Chappell Music is commissioning ten renowned graphic designers to create some of the world’s most legendary and iconic lyrics into works of art. Using famed artists such as Yomar Augusto, Job Wouters ,Till Wiedeck, HelloMe, Stefan Glerum, Julia, Jung + Wenig, Michiel Schuurman, Paul Thurlby, Fanette Mellier and Nick Bell and merging their talent with lyrical geniuses such as Led Zepplin and Radiohead, subsequently creating images which evoke memories and creating emotions through original work. Finishing this weekend, it is a must see for music and art lovers from all generations. The exhibit is being held at Stolenspace Gallery on Brick Lane, with all proceeds from the sales going to charity.

Dray Walk

The Old Truman Brewery   

91 Brick Lane

E1 6QL

11am – 7pm

Until Friday 7  October