Cocktails in the City: your ultimate 2018 festival guide

The nation’s leading cocktail festival is back at the Leeds Town Hall this June, bringing together twenty of the city’s finest bars all under one roof, for a delectable drinks extravaganza.

This year’s Cocktails in the City celebrates Yorkshire’s culture with new drinks inspired by famous places, people and events from the county.

The two-day festival offers a diverse range of enticing drinking experiences to choose from. We’ve cherry-picked our top five unmissable events.

1) Enjoy your first drink on the festival hosts

A ticket to CITC includes a complimentary cocktail – so make it a good one. This year’s theme honours Yorkshire, and with gin still very much the in thing, our recommendation is The Clear and Cold.

Inspired by a clear and cold day on the Yorkshire Moors, new bar Below Stairs has mixed together Tanqueray Gin with Yuzu Sake and a fresh elderflower air foam for this mouth-watering drink that looks as impressive as it tastes.

2) Journey into the unknown in the 31Dover Tasting Rooms

A new experience for 2018, leading online drinks retailer and event partner of CITC, 31Dover.com, have hand-picked a selection of producers who will take you on a tasting journey. Guests will move through a secret maze, trying sensational, sensory drinks along the way. Details about the Rooms are hush-hush – you’ll have to enter to find out more…

3) Sip sparkling martinis in the Clock Tower

You’ll need to be organised for this one and book in advance, but it’s well worth the prior planning. A few lucky groups of 12 will have the opportunity to ascend the 203 dizzying stairs to enjoy sparkling martinis in the face of the Leeds Clock Tower. Award winning brand ambassador and local Leeds lad Dan Crowther, in partnership with Blind Tyger, will be celebrating Leeds’ position as the home of fizzy drinks with a look into the intertwining history of gin and carbonation.

4) Discover the wonders of the Enchanted Forest

Rumour has it under the great hall lies an enchanted forest filled with colourful characters and cocktails, a tempting grown up fairy tale if you will. Hosted by the rooftop collective Issho, Craft House, Angelica and East 59th, the cocktails down here are inspired by the fruits, herbs, woods and spices- such as you might find in a mythical, mystical woodland.

5) Delight in a cocktail and canapé pairing experience

As well as a street food market outside you can also sit down and enjoy a tutored food and drink pairing menu with leading Leeds restaurant Pintura. Executive chef Greg Lewis and bar operations manager Matt Coates have joined forces with world renowned sherry producers Lustau to create a menu of three small plates coupled with their perfect cocktails to take you on a tour around the Basque and Jerez regions.

Cocktails in the City returns to Leeds with an extra Saturday afternoon session for a bumper weekend of exciting, creative and delicious food and drink.

The festival will be held at Leeds Town Hall on the following dates:

Friday, 1 June: 18.00 – 23.00

Saturday, 2 June: 12.00 – 17.00 and 19.00 – 00.00

Tickets are £15 and include one complimentary welcome cocktail worth £6.50. All additional cocktails are £6.50.

To book tickets and for more information, visit www.cocktailsinthecity.com/events/leeds