London Cocktail Week launch party at the Ketel One Hub

Now well into its fourth year, the London Cocktail Week is returning from the 7^th to 13^th October for seven days of fabulous festival events, aiming to inspire Londoners to find their new favourite mixed drink.

Tuesday’s launch party saw a preview of the new pop-up shop Ketel One Hub in Covent Garden’s Seven Dials. With delicious cocktails flowing, fashionistas gossiping with their tiny pet dogs in tow, and goat’s cheese served in mini ice cream cones, the party was a warm welcome for cocktail enthusiasts.

Ketel One – a smooth vodka from the Netherlands – sponsors the Hub, and the minimally decorated space was furnished with quaint bronze kettles, giving a strange mix between tradition and modernity. These were used both as decoration, set above the bar with steam flowing out the spout, and to serve drinks. Very attentive and hardworking bar staff mixed custom cocktails featuring Ketel One Vodka, and were more than happy to explain the ingredients.

The first cocktail of the night had a bit of a punch that went straight to the head. The Schiedam Sherbert Cocktail served in a champagne coupe mixed cointreau with prosecco and a ring of orange for a slightly bitter yet pleasantly fruity taste. The last cocktail of the evening was a welcome break to the steady alcohol flow; a refreshing tipple made out of Ketel One Vodka infused with elderflower and served with cucumber on ice.

The Hub will be at the heart of London Cocktail Week, located on 7 Earlham Street, and is the go-to place for tips on bars, cocktails and events. But there will also be various opportunities to embrace the art of mixology with ticketed events especially made for discerning drinkers, such as a special culinary experience at the Hutong restaurant at the Shard.

From this week onwards, the general public will be able to sample the Hub at Seven Dials for themselves, pick up a wristband and a guide for the festival, and plan their cocktail nights out. With £4 cocktails available across London from Soho and Shoreditch to Clapham and Islington, the festival is not to be missed. 

Bryonie Carolan
Photos: Daniel Donovan

For further information and future events visit the London Cocktail Week website here.