Owner of Bar Beirut, Soumi Tannous, has some fun in store for the Urban Cocktail Trail participants. Photo: Supplied.
Six of the city’s best bars have teamed up for a one-day-only event that will take the form of a self-guided cocktail trail where participants can drink their way through signature cocktails crafted by each venue.
Taking place on 14 March, The Urban Cocktail Trail is the 4th iteration of the now-annual event, organised by Neighbourhood Events Co, who have curated the participating bars to create a walkable trail spanning the city centre and Braddon.
“As a self-guided experience, where you decide to stop and sip is completely up to you, you’ll be able to walk through the city without having to worry about transport or splitting Ubers,” explains Luisa Dewar from Neighbourhood Events Co.
Each of the six venues has crafted a signature cocktail to complement the experience, and Luisa hopes people will revisit places they already love and try some hidden gems.
“It’s all the fun of a curated cocktail crawl, without the fuss of planning.”
Highball is on track to bring the Urban Cocktail Trail to life. Photo: The Highball Express.
As the winner of the 2022 Australian Hotel Association ACT Bartender of the Year and three-time winner of the best cocktail bar in Canberra, Bar Beirut is sure to be a popular stop on the trail.
Soumi Tannous, owner and head bartender, is excited to be putting his skills to the test to delight patrons of the cocktail trail with a cocktail he has called Sweet Lips, a trade secret mix of limoncello, sake, Licor 43 horchata and pistachio that he likens to liquid baklava with its sweet and nutty notes.
“There are places in this city people have been meaning to visit for years. We might be one of them. The Urban Cocktail Trail is the perfect reason to stop putting it off, and we’re not holding back,” says Soumi.
For bars, events like the Urban Cocktail Trail provide an opportunity to showcase signature offerings to a wider audience, while visitors get a chance to engage with Canberra’s hospitality scene in a casual, flexible format, with participants being able to choose from tickets that will give them access to 3, 4, 5, or 6 stops on the route. Each venue also serves food, so crawlers can stay well-fed for the challenge ahead.
If the Porn Star Martini at Luna is anything to go by, their signature Love In Lavender will be a crowd-pleaser. Photo: Supplied.
Each venue brings a distinct flavour profile and concept to the trail, and together they are showcasing the breadth of Canberra’s cocktail scene.
Dolly’s will be presenting Juniper Bloom, a mix of gin, elderflower liqueur, lime, passionfruit and soda.
Hopscotch will serve Coco Loco, featuring coconut tequila, Cointreau, lime, pineapple, agave and a spicy salt rim.
Highball’s East Coast Piracy blends rum, Aperol, falernum (a tropical syrup), lemon, pineapple, and bitters, while Luna’s Love in Lavender combines gin with house-made lavender, Davidson plum and butterfly pea syrup, green Chartreuse, and lemon.
Molly rounds out the trail with White Noise, a mix of white chocolate rum, bergamot, sugar, and lime.
This isn’t the first Canberra event for Neighbourhood Events Co. The WA-based company has previously rolled out the Urban Wine Walk and Wine N Dine and is familiar with the local restaurants, bars and producers in Canberra. They’re excited to see Canberrans experiencing their city and interacting with the local venues in new and fun ways.
The Urban Cocktail Trail will take place on Saturday, 14 March. Tickets are available for pre-purchase online.
Original Article published by Tenele Conway on Region Canberra.
