Africa’s largest cocktail experience, Lagos Cocktail Week 2019 (LCW) is set to take place from October 16th – October 17th 2019.

LCW stakeholders and partners including, Freya Doessel , Brand Manager, Fayrouz Nigerian Breweries Plc; Tiyan Alonge, Brand Ambassador, Diageo Reserve Brands; Funke Babs Kufeji, Editor-in-Chief, Thisday Style and Kola Oshalusi, founder, Business of Photography among others attended the stakeholders press conference event.

During the conference, Lara Rawa, founder of Lagos Cocktail Week, briefed all who were present about what to expect in this year’s edition.

According to her, parent company of LCW, Event Cocktails, will be celebrating its 10th-year anniversary in October.

She added that to commemorate this milestone, there will be new and exciting additions to the event this year.

“We noticed there is a huge gap in the cocktail industry, so the best way to fill this gap is through the Lagos Cocktail Week for bar attendants, entrepreneurs and interested personalities all over Nigeria to be trained by industry professionals,” Rawa said.

“This year, we are making our conference more educational with several seminars and workshops with practical sessions for participants,” she added.

These additions include: Specially curated interactive, practical workshops facilitated by industry professionals: Including DIY Photography, Food Pairing, DIY Decor, Pricing, SME Financing, Pricing, and more.

Seminars on forward-thinking topics: Including Coffee Lifestyle, Creativity & Monetization, Spirits Marketing and Marketing & Branding among others.

The Cocktail Village: It’s bigger & better than before! Brands showcasing include Hennessy, Belvedere vodka , Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker , Gordon’s Gin, Fayrouz amongst others.

She added that the Bar Battle competition will take place as usual but the competition this year will have an international twist, as representatives from Ghana and other African countries will be present.

Also, renowned international hospitality industry practitioners will also be a part of the event.

The Lagos Cocktail initiative serves as a platform for celebrating and promoting the cocktail culture in Nigeria through events, seminars, training sessions, etc. Our aspiration is for cocktails and the cocktail industry at large to be recognised as an integral aspect of the Nigerian beverage industry.

The first Lagos Cocktail event held on October 2014 as a week-long event known as The Lagos Cocktail Week (“LCW”). The Lagos Cocktail Week is a unique celebration of the cocktail culture in Nigeria that provides cocktail enthusiasts an opportunity to converge, celebrate and promote cocktails through a host of activities. The event always includes the Lagos Cocktail Conference, featuring seminars, workshops, master classes and an exhibition.

The conference is targeted at cocktail industry enthusiasts, bartenders, mixologists, bar owners, beverage consultants, and anyone in the beverage sector to empower them to be more and do more, and at the same time providing them the opportunity to learn, unlearn and relearn. It will also expose them to trade secrets, emerging innovations and trends in the industry.