Norwich Cocktail Week with Zena

Three years ago Danni, from Mindful Mixology, asked me to join forces and bring Cocktail Week back to Norwich after a 5-year gap, I was there - and for the last 3 years we have built a team of Cocktail Enthusiasts around us who bring a 10-day event dedicated to all things cocktails in Norwich.

I like to simplify proceedings so this year we have gone for a map print-out designed which was created in-house, with 3000 copies being distributed around Norwich. This year we decided to showcase the trails, which were popular last year, we have 30 bars taking part - and they are all in one of the 6 trails. These are colour coded on the map, so it is easy to navigate. Attendees can either stick to a planned trail making a perfect night stroll form one to the other, or feel free to choose which ever ones take your fancy. 

All 30 cocktails which are all tailor made for the Cocktail Week (running Friday 18th - Sunday 27th October) will be featured on individual posts across social media. Click here for the pdf of trails and highlights here. Cocktails this year are no more than £7.50 and are all special for Cocktail Week using Norfolk ingredients. Sponsors this year are Home Farm Gin, a Tastebuds member that are based in Hethersett and Norfolk Spirit Company who specialise in Rum and are based at the Broadland Food Innovation Centre.

I will be leading a booked-out Food & Cocktail tour on the first Friday across the city, tasting independent food bites and cocktails, leading to the launch party. You're all invited along to the launch party at 11th and Social, until 3 in the morning - where it will be happy hour all night long! Their Cocktail Week special is only £6 and called 'Sweet Carrot Time' (which may help you see your way home at 3am?!). Shaken over ice with whiskey, lemon juice, honey, Norfolk carrot juice, passionfruit puree and topped with ginger ale. If that sounds nice, here are a few more to wet your cocktail appetite - 

The Drawing Rooms bring you 'Alan Pear'Tridge' - (see what they did there), a refreshing spritz made with Xante pear, cognac, St Germain, Norfolk spiced run and topped with prosecco. 

St Giles Pantry is coming in with a 'Banana Rum Punch' mixed with banana rum, orange and pineapple juice, a splash of ginger ale and a drizzle of grenadine with a garnish of pomegranate. 

While the Merchants House with its' medieval courtyard offers two Brambles, a whiskey sour and an amaretto sour. 

Interesting fact - did you know that grenadine is made from pomegranate? It is just a sugar syrup base, much like a squash. 

And before I do, I have to thank the 2024 team who work for free on this non-profit local promotion, with all money raised is going to our yearly chosen charity - 'Eating Matters' - based in Norfolk helping people in East Anglia with eating disorders.

• I've already mentioned Danni, but she's so good we can mention her twice - Dannie owns Mindful Mixology, a cocktail company who avoids the nasties and over-sweetened cocktails and makes delicious mail order bottles. I love her Lychee Martini, she is also a 50% owner of a cocktail bar in Liverpool Street Station - Back to Mine. She always works Thursday so go and say hello. Danni deals mainly with the invoices and chasing up money for advertising which pays for the map printing. 
• Becky is a local blogger who has taken on nearly all of the chasing up this year. In fact, she has done all sorts including editing the website. She must have the patience of a saint - some independents need a lot of prodding, but it is all worth it in the end. 
• Illiana is the food blogger behind The Aubergine, formally Norwich Food Wank. She also happens to be an extraordinary good portrait pencil artist as well as a photographer - so she happens to be our very own photographer. Many of the photos of the cocktails this year are her work and she will be at events to snap all of us at our best, because she does it so well.
• Lica is a software illustrator artist, she formed the whole map print-out and trails for us. Last year she created 6 cocktail masterpieces which we auctioned off for last year's charity. She can turn any picture into a piece of bespoke art - check her out.
• Arthur is the mixologist behind The Rotters Club, a pop-up cocktail club. He also runs the bar at the Bowling House. He won last year's cocktail championship - he is the anorak (in a great way) of cocktail making, often foraging to make elixirs and blends for his cocktails. He is beyond talented in the art of cocktails, more than anyone else I know. He is Norwich's Mozart to music, but to cocktails. 
• Anisa joined us this year to help out with all sorts, I look forward to finding out more about her in one of our Cocktail Week events. 
• Sasha joined us recently to take over social media, she is a whizz, coming from Coder Media Company, she knows her onions and has got stuck right in.

So with 30 bespoke cocktails, how will we know which one is the best?  - the Best Cocktail of Cocktail Week. 

Well, I will tell you. On Friday 25th October the whole team above will pre-choose their favourite 5-6 cocktails from the list and I will merge them all to get the top 5 cocktails of Norwich - we will then go out and try every one and choose the winner. Who will be crowned that night? If we are all standing up!

Keep a look out on our socials for who is taking part, what cocktail they are offering and grab a map from the city or bars and choose a trail - it is a must in October to support local independent businesses. 

BTW, I am Zena, an x-chef, cookery tutor and food writer, who also happens to be an accidental blogger when I set up social media and a website to promote my Food and Drink walking tours in Norwich, including a self-guided pay as you go tour. I also run Holiday Barns in Bawburgh. 

I will be writing for Tastebuds every month, so if you want to be featured, message us!

Zena x