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Culinary capers in the capital with Kerry Teakle
Raise a glass to Cocktail Week
OCTOBER SIGNALS autumn's arrival for me
- time to hunker down, catch up with family
and friends after August's Fringe madness, and
usually recover from my September holiday.
This year's di erent though. I've shifted my
break to later, which means for once, I'm
actually here for Edinburgh Cocktail Week.
Running from Friday October 3 to Sunday
October 12 (noon to 11pm daily, 8pm Sunday
close), this year's festival promises to be bigger
than ever.
The redesigned Cocktail Village at Festival
Square will have 24 pop-up bars, double the £
cocktails, an outdoor drinks terrace, village pub
extension, all-day live music, a new street food
market, and – brilliantly – a dog-friendly policy
on weekdays.
But here's the real draw: over 100 bars
citywide are o ering £5 cocktails throughout
the 10-day festival. It's the perfect excuse to
nally venture past the doors of those cocktail
bars you've always wanted to try but feared for
your wallet's well-being! Familiar faces like The
Dome, Tigerlily and The Alchemist return
alongside 30-plus newcomers, including BABA,
Bar 1819, Brunswick Book Club, Crybaby,
Edinburgh Gin Distillery Bar, Little Beef Bar, The
Spanish Butcher, The Volley and Vessel - quite a
lineup.
The Prestige Cocktails return too – elevated
serves from the city's most talented
mixologists for £9 with a wristband. Panda &
Sons, recently crowned with World's Best
Cocktail Menu, leads the pack alongside
newcomers The Hoxton, Lucky Liquor, Nor' Loft
(a favourite) and João's Place in W Hotel
Edinburgh, which I highly recommend and will
certainly be visiting again. Returning favourites
include The Register Club, Devil's Advocate,
and Lady Libertine.
Wristband options are sensibly priced:
Weekend passes £12.50, weekday £8, or splash
out £18 for the full ten-day experience.
edinburghcocktailweek.co.uk
Bar Prince Raises the Bar
Despite 25 years in Edinburgh, I'd shamefully
never stepped inside the Balmoral's Bar Prince
- until recently, when I was invited to sample
their new "Connected Icons" menu. Each
cocktail tells a story rooted in the hotel's
history, from celebrated guests to that
famously three-minutes-fast clocktower.
“The Proud Scotsman” caught my attention
immediately – a tribute to Sir Sean Connery,
who reopened The Balmoral in 1991. Blending
Aberfeldy 16, Sweetdram Amaro, Drambuie,
walnut bitters and lemon oil, it's bold and
complex with smooth Hollywood elegance.
Very Bond, very Edinburgh.
“Always on Time” cleverly references the
clocktower's charming tradition (three minutes
fast to ensure passengers never miss trains,
except on Hogmanay when Edinburgh joins
the world's countdown). My friends might say
that it should also be my nickname - either
that, or “Annoyingly early”. Mixing X Muse
Vodka with Highland Park 18, lemon juice,
spiced agave and plum bitters, it captures that
moment when time stands still – smooth with
a touch of smoke.
“The Glamis” pays homage to both the castle
and the hotel's Glamis Suite, celebrating local
whisky with warming chilli, with a sweet
softness and grounded by earthy artichoke.
Each sip is a journey through city stories.New Kid on Shandwick Place
Now, strike me down, but pizza and smallplates aren't typically my go-to food choices.
My friends nd it laughable, or just fussy!
However, there's a new arrival on Shandwick
Place that's apparently the hottest hangout for
cocktails and sharing plates.
Social by Matto is the fourth venture from
the family-run team behind MATTO,
Edinburgh's popular pizza joints in Newington,
Meadowbank and Morningside. While the
cuisine might not be my usual preference, I'll
never refuse a frozen Aperol margarita!
The menu features Venetian cicchetti forgrazing, small plates, sharing plates, pizza and
pizzette, loaded crisps, and indulgent desserts
made with top-quality Italian and Scottish
ingredients. They're also rst in the city to
provide golden scissors for easy pizza cutting- a nice touch.
Call me a cynic, but I wonder how many of
those will nd their way into people’s
handbags? The drinks list is extensive and
Italian-themed: from tiramisu martinis to Social
lager on draught, even an Irn Bru whisky sour.
There really is something for everyone.
Inspired by Venetian Bacari – wine bars
where locals gather for cicchetti, nger foods,
and ombre (small wine glasses) – the
restaurant o ers an exclusively Italian wine list,
accompanied by expert sta who explain
perfect pairings.
Social By Matto sits at 97 Shandwick Place,
and despite my usual reservations about pizza
joints, the cocktail game here might just win
me over.
October's shaping up nicely - Cocktail Week
adventures await, and perhaps I'll surprise
myself by enjoying those small plates after all.
socialbymatto.co.uk/
Raise a glass to Cocktail Week