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Rum festival bringing tiki vibes and calypso beats to Manchester next month
Taste different rums from around the world for World Rum Day
Rum lovers get set to descend on Manchester as an annual rum festival will bring Tiki vibes and Calypso beats to the city this summer – and you can win FREE tickets to it and a year’s supply of rum.
Manchester Rum Festival is on its way to the Mercure Hotel on July 8th — World Rum Day — where visitors can sip on some of the finest rums from around the world as well as bop to funky beats from Calypso inspired DJ sets while they munch on tasty Caribbean foods.
For a very special treat, visitors will be able to purchase a one-off, limited-edition bottle of the official festival rum, named ‘Punk Croc’ which is a collaboration with the Outlier Distilling Company.
This 41% abv limited edition blend is a Manx rum with a cask-aged bite. Perfect for Mojitos and Daiquiris with attitude, the bottling will only be available at the festival, so rum lovers can take home a very special souvenir this year and recreate the cocktail magic at home.
The event will see a variety of distillers including Distillers Direct — bringing a very special limited edition single cask of Chairman’s Reserve Rum, which has been produced in partnership with The Drinks Trust.
The UK’s largest rum distillery, DropWorks will be making their very first rum festival appearance after launching at the latter end of May.
Also debuting at the festival are Rhum JM, an historic rum from Martinique in the Caribbean with a super sustainable background focusing on biodiversity and the preservation of nature, as well as Takamaka, the first ever rum from the idyllic Seychelles in the Indian Ocean.
Visitors will be able to sample all of the brands, purchase their favourites and have a great time entertained by fantastic music, eating delicious food.
For the very first time, MONIN will be at the festival with the official cocktail bar if you fancy a Pina Colada, Mojito or Daiquiri, and the event will be sponsored by Stratford Sodas who will be providing the perfect mixers for your favourite rum delights.
Two rums from Madeira – 970 and Tristão Vaz Teixeira – will become the first brands ever to exhibit at the festival from the Portuguese Island. And, a rum from Outlier Distillery on the Isle of Man that has recently been featured on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch will be available to taste.
Last but not least, Ron Piet from Panama, Tilambic from Mauritius, Eminente from Cuba, Paranubes from the mountainous Oaxaca region in Mexico, and Bone Idyll — a rum distillery based in Kingston upon Thames — will also be making their Manchester debuts.
Manchester Rum Festival founder, Dave Marsland, said: “The 2023 festival is set to be the biggest and best yet with rum brands from all over the planet descending on Manchester for what has become a must-have diary date for rum lovers.
“Visitors can expect a smorgasbord of samples, uplifting DJ sets and Caribbean Street Food from Nyammin’, which always gets the taste buds tingling.
“It really is a fantastic day out and has cemented itself as a brilliant annual event for rum fans across the UK and beyond. For added fun this year, visitors can snap some pics in a special photo booth and take group selfies with a special frame, so you can share the memories with friends.”
To win a year’s supply of rum and two tickets to the legendary Manchester Rum Festival this July, simply head HERE.
General tickets are priced at £25 each. For more information and to book a ticket click HERE.
Manchester’s first and only dedicated and official rum festival takes place on Saturday July 8th, 12-7pm, at the Mercure, Manchester in Piccadilly Gardens.
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Sample the world’s ‘most unusual’ wines and spirits at special tasting event
Sounds like my kind of ‘spirit journey’
Tipples invites you to grab a glass and sip away on a variety of wines and spirits at its celebratory event in Manchester.
Tipples are hosting a celebration of the ‘world of drinks’ at Albert Hall on Saturday, November 4th.
The winter showcase will see a wide variety of the ‘most unusual’ and ‘interesting’ wines and spirits across the globe, as well as being the perfect opportunity to purchase Christmas presents for loved ones in the run up to the big day.
The event will be split into two sessions, kicking off at 12.00pm and 5.00pm, featuring some of the newest wines and spirits, along with some of Tipples’ long-time favourites.
Upon arrival guests will be given a tasting glass, a bottle of water, and a floorplan as they go on a ‘spirit journey’.
They can then make their way around the space and approach any of the stands they like the look of and ask for a sample. It will be a great opportunity to learn a little more about the brands, and the brand reps will take care of the rest.
Guests will join the owners of Tipples, Greg and Tom, at their very first showcase to explore their range of some of the finest sips from over 40 brands covering over 300 products from here, there and everywhere.
Local Manchester based brands will also feature at the event including the likes of Manchester Gin and Pod Pea vodka.
And with all that sipping, guests are likely to get a little peckish. You’ll be delighted to know that a hot dog stand provided by Albert’s Schloss will be available for anyone who gets the munchies.
Bottles of fine wines and spirits will be available to purchase at the event, and will make an excellent Christmas present for the wine or spirit connoisseurs in your life.
Tipples is an independent city centre spirits shop and gin specialist stocking a wide range of spirits and liqueurs, including over 75 gins, which they pride themselves on.
They have a wide range of suppliers to ensure that their selection is as broad and comprehensive as possible, with over 500 products for customers to choose from.
Tickets for Tipples of Manchester’s ‘world of drinks’ showcase are £27.07. To find out more or purchase tickets, click HERE.
What's On
Chester Zoo launches new ‘mystical’ Halloween trail with ‘enchanted river boat ride’
Mind the hanging bats!
Chester Zoo has announced it is launching a new ‘mystical’ Halloween trail which features an ‘enchanted river boat ride’, just in time for October half term.
Luna’s Legendary Creature Halloween Trail will run throughout the whole of October, including half term and Halloween.
Event organisers say the ‘spellbinding route will see visitors encounter five magical species’ such as the majestic crowned pigeon, the super agile Sulawesi macaque and the strong Sunda gharial crocodile.
The ‘spooktastic’ journey will highlight deforestation and the importance of protecting the rainforest.
Visitors to the trail will go on a quest to collect key words about the unique qualities of each animal before helping Luna the witch discover a legendary creature living deep inside the charity zoo’s Monsoon Forest habitat – the UK’s biggest indoor zoological building.
Guests who unlock the secrets of the rainforest will receive a spooky Halloween treat – no tricks!
Newly added to the trail this year, will see guests able to hop onto Halloween-themed boats and take a ride on the Lazy River Boats where they can see hanging bats, skeletons and pumpkins along the way.
Ellie Trigg, Chester Zoo’s customer development manager, said: “There’s a special mystical quest across South East Asia to discover at the zoo this October. We need visitors to help us find ‘Luna’s Legendary Creature’ which holds the secret to protecting the rainforest.
“This new trail will take guests through our huge Monsoon Forest habitat, where visitors will be challenged with collecting a number of key words from five locations to complete their log book and help us discover Luna’s Legendary Creature.”
She added: “Halloween provides us with a great opportunity to highlight some of the world’s rarest animals, especially those that can sometimes be a little misunderstood or which often fly under the radar.
“This new trail will also show visitors how small actions, such as swapping a few items in their weekly shop to sustainable alternatives, can help the species found on the trail to thrive in the wild.”
The trail is free to all zoo visitors who purchase normal zoo tickets and no time slot booking needed. Visitors of the zoo can go on the trail at any time throughout the day – which takes around 90 minutes to complete.
To book tickets, costing from £22.72 for children and from £29.99 for adults, visit the website by clicking HERE. Children aged two and under go free.
Freight Island will be hosting an Oktoberfest event later this week to celebrate the Bavarian tradition.
The inside of Freight Island will be transformed into an all singing, all dancing Bavarian beer hall complete with long wooden tables and traditional bunting, so put your best dirndls and lederhosen on and head over to Manchester’s outdoor festival hub.
The two-day event will be held over Friday September 29th and Saturday, September 30th and will feature entertainment including comedy comperes, a live Oompah band, a selection of Bavarian beers and a special Bratwurst menu.
The traditional Bavarian beers will be available, including Paulaner, Paulaner Weissbier, Lowenbrau, Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest, Flotzinger Wies’n, Marzen, Spaten Oktoberfest, Hofbräu Oktoberfest, Braybrooke Harvest Festbier, Cloudwater Oktoberfest, Newbarns Festbier, Donzoko Festbier.
Tickets cost £12.50 and include entry to the full session, plus two pints of Bavarian beer, access to all exclusive beers, and a traditional German bier stein to take home.
Free tickets include entry to the full session and access to all exclusive beers. for more information and tickets, click HERE.
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