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Indulging in a wee tipple rarely leads to a night of edifying education, but gin-makers Hendrick’s is hoping to correct that by serving up a weekend of thought-provoking events alongside a glass of something nice.
Part of London Cocktail Week, the Carnival of Knowledge’s line-up of lectures, experiences and experiments is designed to expand your mind, rather than lower your inhibitions, and kicks off on Friday with the Chemistry of Cocktails. Biochemist Steve Pearce (the former president of the British Society of Flavourists) will explain why mixing different spirits is a science as well an art, and what makes a shaken cocktail so different to its stirred counterpart.
Saturday will be dedicated to a light-hearted series of talks and performances under the banner London Day of the Dead. Taking place all day (1-11pm), the events (organised by arts and record label Antique Beat) will lift the lid on the afterlife, the burial of bodies and the deaths of famous Londoners.
Following that, Sunday will take an altogether more upbeat approach as the Idler Academy presents Coffee Houses and Gin Palaces – a talk by Dr Matthew Green exploring the history of London’s eighteenth-century drinking dens – and hosts the Sunday Lunch in 2063, Project which sees mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana team up with the Rebel Dining Society’s Shay Ola to imagine how lunch will look in 50 years. With a bit of luck, it’ll feature a decent cocktail.