There’s nothing we’d rather do on a Friday or Saturday night than get together with our best friends, take a satisfying sip of an expertly shaken cocktail and have a debrief about how our weeks have been.

But why settle for just one bar, and one cocktail menu, when you can try 18 instead?

Enter: Cocktails in the City, the cosmopolitan gathering of some of Manchester’s best and coolest bars. From Friday 11 October to Saturday 12 October, this exciting pop-up will be taking over The Viadux and not only showcasing some of the best tasting cocktails in the city, but the talent behind them, too.

Which leads us nicely onto one bar that you simply have to check out while you’re there: the Stylist Loves pop-up, of course!

We’ve teamed up with innovator in champagne Laurent-Perrier, the iconic brand which was founded back in 1812, not only because of its prestigious reputation but also its long history of having strong women at its helm. Together, we have cherry picked some of the best female bartenders in Manchester, and have asked them to (wo)man our bar at the event and serve up three delicious champagne cocktails. 

The women we’ve enlisted to help include Agnes Nemeth from Tattu (the immersive Chinese-inspired bar and restaurant), Melike Sahin from Grand Pacific (an old-world venue with a penchant for plants) and Carmel Healy from Wilderness Bar + Kitchen (a neighbourhood eating, drinking and lifestyle space).

Together these three talented women will be serving up tipples and flying the female flag in an industry that often feels dominated by men.

Tickets for the event are priced at £12.50, which includes entry and a cocktail. But, for Stylist readers only, we’re adding in another free cocktail meaning you won’t have to open those purse strings until you’re reaching for your third drink. 

Buy your tickets here and bag yourself another drink. 

Plenty of impressive names will be taking part in the event, including speakeasy specialists like Speak in Code and familiar favourites like The Alchemist, as well as street food and immersive experiences. So let’s just say, we can promise you won’t be stuck for choice.

Make the Elder Rouge cocktail from Wilderness Bar + Kitchen yourself at home: 

Ingredients: 

• 1 sugar cube 
• Handful of fresh elderberries
• 100ml Laurent-Perrier Ultra Brut
• Dash of Elderflower pickle or presse 

Method: 

Healy says, “Take a small handful of elderberries and cook them in a pan with one sugar cube on a low heat until they become a paste and dehydrate. Top this with 100ml of Laurent-Perrier Ultra Brut and add two dashes of elderflower pickle or presse.”

Tasting notes: 

“I was looking at classic champagne cocktails for inspiration like the kir royale and the champagne cocktail. This contemporary version is a blend of the two, combining the Wilderness ethos of using every part of the ingredient with my own personal preference of strong straight up drinks.”

Do you live in Manchester? Make sure you come along to Stylist Live, our annual Festival of Inspiration sponsored by BaByliss, NatWest and Instax which is returning to Manchester’s intu Trafford Centre on 28 and 29 September 2019. 

Images: Cocktails in the City