As this years London Cocktail Week enters its 14th year, you may not think that much has changed but just below the surface, the festival has introduced some fairly significant initiatives.

Aimed at amplifying one of the festival’s core missions – to support and champion the bartending community and hospitality industry – the initiatives range from allowing partner venues to keep 100% of the revenue from the £15 wristbands, the Bartender Knowledge Exchange programme.

Additionally, ‘Connaught – Behind The Scenes’ and ‘The Seat At The Bar’ are aimed at giving bartenders the opportunity to learn from other bartenders on the job. The festival will also offering, in partnership with The Hoxton, exclusive room rates in venues in London and Berlin (to coincide with BCB Berlin).

“… we ensure that the decisions we make in pursuit of creating something that our consumers will love, also genuinely benefits the hospitality industry too”

We asked the two founders, Hannah Sharman-Cox and Siobhan Payne, what these changes would mean for consumers, industry and the future of the festival.

The focus of London Cocktail Week (LCW) has always been very consumer-based in the past, why the change this year?

Our outward focus for London Cocktail Week is definitely still on the consumer and making sure our cocktail-loving guests have a brilliant time. The key shift this year is what’s happening behind the scenes as we ensure that the decisions we make in pursuit of creating something that our consumers will love, also genuinely benefit the hospitality industry too.

Does this shift effect the consumer experience?

To a point – yes it does. We have decided not to run the Cocktail Village moving forward and ensure that its the London bar scene that is at the forefront of the festival. Of course there will be some consumers who miss this large-event element, however we really feel very confident that we’ve made the best decision for the good of the bar industry, and the consumers that this resonates with will feel the same.

Are you attempting to draw more bartenders who are visiting Europe for BCB to London?

We’ve always had a great relationship with BCB and try not to clash dates (which takes lots of forward planning!) but yes – this year we have worked even more closely to cross promote and created a partnership with Hoxton Hotels who have properties in both cities to make it easier for the people who want to attend both our events.

What impact will the 100% revenue have on the participating bars? Is this initiative meant to draw in more bars to the event?

Well firstly – it will put additional revenue through their tills during London Cocktail Week. Which is always a good thing! London Cocktail Week has become the blueprint for other similar events around the world and we wanted our bar community to really feel ownership and pride for the event as a whole. And by giving the wristbands over to them – we hope we’ll achieve that to an even greater extent. And on the other side – we might gain a fresh consumer audience who may not have known about the festival or might not know about a neighbouring bar also taking part – so our little clan of cocktail lovers is growing!

What form will the Bartender Knowledge Exchange take? Is it for bartenders of all levels?

It’s definitely for bartenders of all levels. Our aim for this programme is to create opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, and offer a bit of a behind the scenes look at how some of the World’s 50 Best Bars operate. One person’s expertise may be another person’s new skill – so regardless of overall level, the flow of education can go both ways.

“Our aim for this programme is to create opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, and offer a bit of a behind the scenes look at how some of the World’s 50 Best Bars operate.”

Does this mean that LCW is looking to delve more into the education side? Will the following years see more of these events?

The role of London Cocktail Week is to be a platform for others to create activations and showcase what they do. There has always been a schedule of educational activities for the Trade as part of the festival – we just hope the new framework of Bartender Knowledge Exchange and The Seat at The Bar gives venues a new way of thinking about what they want to add to the schedule.

Are these learning opportunities exclusively for UK bartenders or can bartenders from anywhere in the world, who happen to be in London at the time, participate?

Everything that happens as part of London Cocktail Week is definitely for anyone, from anywhere! Actually a lot of these opportunities are really designed with language barriers in mind – especially The Seat at The Bar. It gives young bartenders from around the world a chance to meet the host team and get first hand experience of how they work, without the need for that awkward “I’m a bartender too” chat – especially important for the shy, or those without English as a first language!

Are these learning opps (especially behind the scenes ones) something they will extend to online for those bartenders who can’t get to London?

Definitely not this year. We’re really thrilled that London Cocktail Week can once again be an opportunity for people to connect in person, and so bringing a digital element into these programmes doesn’t feel right for the moment.

What is it about The Connaught’s service prep that makes it the focus bar for the first behind the scenes?

It goes without saying that The Connaught Bar is a venue that bartenders around the world look to. It is going to be a fascinating opportunity for those lucky few to get behind the scenes. They’ve also never done something like this before so it felt like an exciting addition to the lineup of events.

“We’ve made trade wristbands a different colour so if you spot someone wearing a black wristband – you know they’re a bartender so conversations can start flowing!”

What do you want bartenders to get out of LCW 2023 that they might not have in earlier years?

Education through experience is really important to us and so we hope that this year’s programme allows those that want to really see the excellence that is happening in London’s hospitality scene first hand – in a way that resonates. If you’re a bartender visiting the city, there’s lots of ways to connect with people in the city. Plus we’ve made trade wristbands a different colour so if you spot someone wearing a black wristband – you know they’re a bartender so conversations can start flowing!

If you are after more infomation or tickets for London Cocktail Week, go to londoncocktailweek.com or connect with the brand via @londoncocktailweekofficial

[The main photo features, from left to right, 1) Carlos Fernando London (Cafe Pacifico) 2) Josh Linfitt (Adam Handling Group) 3) Giulia Cuccurullo (Artesian) 4) Derrick (Freelance) 5) Maura Millia (The Connaught) 6.) Gregorio Soriente (Zetter Townhouse)]