Forget the Pub — It’s time for St Andrews Cocktail Week!

Last Thursday, we were lucky enough to get a sneak peek into St Andrews Cocktail Week. Running from 14 to 23 March, a Cocktail Week wristband (which can be bought for £10 at standrewscocktailweek.co.uk) provides the wearer unlimited access to hundreds of discounted cocktails and huge food discounts at 28 different St Andrews venues. 

We started our St Andrews Cocktail Week Crawl at Forgans, where we were presented with their Cocktail Week Drinks menu. For £5 each, it included three drinks. The Strawberry Fizz is made with strawberry rum, gin with a hint of coconut, and prosecco. The Raspberry Bramble is made with vanilla vodka, Chambord, London Essence raspberry rose soda, and prosecco. Finally, the Irish Goodbye was made to be a twist on an espresso martini, made with Jameson black barrel Irish whiskey, espresso, and caramel. The flavours were new and exploratory, yet still reminiscent of familiar cocktails. 

The next stop was Dune, where we enjoyed a delicious Honey Lavender Martini, which featured their homemade lavender syrup, and the Aviation, which was made with gin, maraschino liqueur, lemon juice, and créme de violet. The martini was perfectly balanced with the sweetness of the honey and the lightness of the lavender. The Aviation was a sweeter, more floral cocktail, but it balanced well with the citrusy bitterness of the lemon juice. Dune’s Cocktail Week drinks range from £5 to £15. As you sip your cocktails and enjoy the view, add on some of their famous nibbles like their famous octopus hot dog, their creamy and salty crab croquettes, buttery smooth trout pastrami with créme fraiche and rye crisps, and oysters. Despite the floral nature of our cocktails, each of these nibbles complimented perfectly and served to make a highly enjoyable (and absolutely delicious) experience. 

After Dune, we made our way over to One Under, where we had the chance to watch them make their two new Cocktail Week cocktails. The Tartan Clover (£5 with a wristband) was one of the most intriguing drinks of the night. A tribute to Scotland, it was made with Jameson black barrel whiskey (an Irish brand, but included in honour of the six nations), a specially made Tennent’s syrup, lime juice, and ginger beer. This drink was reminiscent of a mule, but the Tennent’s syrup added a pleasant hoppiness. Their second cocktail, the Jalisco Bramble (£7) is made from tequila, dry vermouth, briottet crème de mure, lemon juice, simple syrup, and topped with an olive. A spin on a classic bramble and a classic martini, the taste of the tequila was cut by a pleasant sweetness and a slight acidity from the lemon juice. 

The next stop was The Physician, The Adamson's cocktail bar. We sampled the Pharmacy, an existing cocktail on their menu and one of several that will be offered for £5 to £7 during Cocktail Week. Made with gin, Passoa, apple, vanilla, and lemon, this cocktail felt like a combination of a pornstar martini and a cosmopolitan. The Adamson and Hatch will also be holding several Cocktail Week deals, so certainly make sure to stop by.

Our last stop of the night was at Rogue, where we sampled their Jalapeño Popper cocktails. Rimmed with pop rocks that sizzled and snapped as we sipped, and topped with a slice of pepper, this drink was a unique twist on a spicy margarita that got better as you keep sipping. Slightly sweeter than a typical margarita, this had the perfect burn-the-back-of-your-throat kick without being overpoweringly spicy. Balanced and creative, this surprised us by being one of our favourite drinks of the night. 

If the last five minutes of your time that you’ve spent thinking about all the delicious cocktails St Andrews has to offer hasn’t convinced you to try out St Andrews Cocktail Week, let this — most of these cocktails are cheaper than a pint at the pub. And even better, there are food deals too! Forget your Tesco meal deal and dine on oysters and bonbons as you sip a luxury, handcrafted cocktail. You’ll have a great time — I know we did.

Photos by Ilaria Freccia