Birmingham Cocktail Weekend 2023

Cover image by Anne-Marie Hayed for BCW 2023. | Local business owners proudly tell me about how in the past few years, Birmingham has become a hub for award-winning bartenders, training opportunities, and extraordinary drinks. Jacob Clarke and Katie Rouse of Couch and Matt Arnold of Passing Fancies were all finalists of World Class Great Britain, with Arnold winning and advancing to the global finals. Both bars (and others in Birmingham) are among the Top 50 Cocktail Bars in the UK.

July 2023 marked the 9th year of Birmingham Cocktail Weekend (BCW), where attendees can purchase a £5 wristband for access to £5 signature cocktails and other deals across town. Some venues also host masterclasses and tastings—often centred around a particular spirit—for the occasion. I reached out to Alex Nicholson-Evans, founder and director of Living for the Weekend, the company behind BCW, to learn more about the event: in the last decade, BCW has grown from "a handful of venues" and about 1,000 attendees to over 40 venues and more than 3,000 attendees.