Cocktails In The City: Ten Drinks To Try This Spring

To celebrate the return of Cocktails in the City to Manchester this May 14/15th, we asked the organisers for their top ten springtime cocktails. Get stirrin’.

1. Smoked French Manhattan

The Fitzgerald

As one of Manchester’s finest speakeasies – The Fitzgerald serves its own twist on the classic Old Fashioned. If you’re fond of a sour drink, this one is for you – it’s sure to tickle your taste buds!

Recipe:

20ml Chambord
35ml Woodford Reserve
12.5ml Cocchi Americano
Bar Spoon Dark Cherry Syrup
Dash of Peychaud & Orange Bitters
Cocktail Bitters

Instructions:

All stirred down together.
Smoked and served in a miniature Chambord Bottle.

2. Friends with Bene-fits

Épernay Champagne Bar

As one of Manchester’s most glamorous cocktail bars with an impressive interior, Épernay has created this sweet smelling, melt-in-your-mouth cocktail. With the herbal liqueur Benedictine and the mixes of fresh juices – It’s a definite one to try!

Recipe:

50ml D.O.M Benedictine
15ml Cassis
20ml Fresh Lemon Juice
Dash of Orange Bitters
Egg White
Soda Top

Instructions:

Shake and dry shake first five ingredients.
Double strain into chilled coupette glass.
Top with soda.
Garnish with Lemon Zest

3. Picnic at Cooper’s

Mr Cooper’s House

Come and try this inventive cocktail Picnic at Coopers – with the opposing flavours of Portobello Gin and cool cucumber, this fresh, tall cocktail is genius.

Recipe:

Portobello Gin
Dolin Blanc Vermouth
Lemon Juice
Cucumber
Raspberry Syrup
Egg White

Instructions:

Dry Shake all ingredients to emulsify egg white.
Shake again with cubed ice and double strain into Martini Glass.
“To know is nothing, to imagine is everything”.

4. Rum N Ginger Sherbert

Mojo Bar

This was one of the top drinks at the recent Leeds show and is perfect for a warm spring day. Tall and refreshing, the homemade lime and ginger sherbert makes it a real winner – and it’s blue!

Recipe:

40 ml El Dorado 3yr Old Rum
20 ml Blue Curacao
50 ml Homemade Lime and Ginger Sherbet
Top Soda Water

Instructions:

Shake the first three ingredients hard with cubed ice.
Strain into a tall glass over cubed ice.
Top with soda water.
Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.

5. Mr Pink’s Persuasion

The Alchemist

This short but sweet cocktail is the perfect pink pick if you’ve got a sweet tooth. With the mix of maple syrup and grapefruit juice, it’s an easily sippable drink that leaves you wanting more!

Recipe:

50 ml Gentleman Jack
15 ml Pink Grapefruit
15 ml Maple Syrup
2 dashes Aromatic Bitters
2 squeezes Fresh Orange

Instructions:

Add all the ingredients and stir for dilution
Strain into large beaker, smoke with black pepper
Garnish with orange twist

6. V/X Banana Daiquiri

Hawksmoor

With a cocktail list to die for, this is an adaption of their hugely popular Nuclear Banana Daiquiri

Recipe:

25ml Appleton Estate V/X
25ml Yellow Chatreuse
25ml Velvet Falernum
Gomme 10ml
Half a banana

Instructions:

Blend all ingredients with cubed ice.
Pour into a Hurricane Glass
Serve and enjoy!

7. Skippys Caribbean Cooler

Lucha Libre

An exotic mix of fresh juices with a light coconut finish makes you think of the long days of summer just around the corner (fingers crossed).

Recipe:

30ml Tequila Herradura Plata
15ml Peach Liqueur
15ml Coconut Syrup
25ml Fresh Watermelon
25ml Fresh Orange Juice
5ml Fresh Lime Juice

Instructions:

Shake all ingredients vigorously strained over cubed ice.
Tastes like a Mexican Paradise!

8. Island Nectar

Keko Moku

You can’t create a drinks list in Manchester without at least two rum drinks in it. Here is a more tropical number to toast the arrival of the longer warmer days.

Recipe:

35ml Santa Teresa Claro Rum
15ml Velvet Falernum
20ml Fresh Lime Juice
25ml Apple Juice
25ml Coconut Stock
10ml Pistachio Syrup

Instructions:

Shaken Hard. Served up over crushed ice.
Aloha! Welcome to a tropical paradise!

9. The Moulin Rouge

Montpellier’s

The use of fresh thyme gives this drink a nice, fresh floral note that you associate with the beginnings of spring.

Recipe:

50ml Lamb’s Spiced Rum
17.5ml Passionfruit Liqueur
10ml Passionfruit Puree
50ml Cranberry Juice
20ml Lemon Juice
Sprig of Thyme

Instructions:

Shake all the ingredients with cubed ice.
Double strain into chilled coupette glass.
Garnish with fresh sprig of Thyme

10. Up Up and Away

Cloud 23

As little fluffy white clouds glide by on a lovely spring day, you couldn’t ask for more than this little gin number, combining fruity countryside flavour’s with a fresh citrus-led gin.

Recipe:

40ml Tanqueray No.10
15ml Apricot Liqueur
5ml Framboise Liqueur
10ml Rhubarb Puree
15ml Lemon Juice
50ml Apple Juice
3 Dash of Plum Bitters
Egg White

Instructions:

Shake, Dry Shake and serve with a Grapefruit Scented Balloon.

You can enjoy these cocktails and plenty more for good measure as Manchester’s finest bars get together for the annual Cocktails in the City.

Moving to the Great Northern Warehouse for this year’s festival, you can expect the very best in street food, music, main stage demonstrations and show floor entertainment. If you can prize yourself from the bar, that is.

Tickets to Cocktails in the City

Tickets are £10, which includes one cocktail, a cocktail booklet and access to the stage demonstrations.

The full list of featured bars is yet to be confirmed, but the list is already pretty huge. See below:

The Hawksmoor – Cane and Grain – FUMO – Cloud 23 – Mr Coopers – Lucha Libre – Montpellier’s – Epernay Champagne Bar – The Fitzgerald – The Alchemist – Mojo Bar – All Star Lanes – The Blue Pig – Twenty Twenty Two – Keko Moku – Harvey Nichols Second Floor Bar – Smithfield Social at Bluu – Elixir

For more information on Cocktails in the City, click here.