For seven days in August, Manchester is throwing its first ever cocktail festival.

Now, we're a city who enjoys a good slurp on a classic concoction, but even we didn't see a dedicated festival committed to this refined drinking trend coming.

From August 8-14, Manchester Loves Cocktails (yes, yes it does) will bring together more than 20 fine drinking establishments from right across the city for a full week of unique cocktails and more than 40 special booze-themed events.

Why? Because as the founder of Manchester Loves Cocktails Nick Fox says: “The standard of cocktails in Manchester are now on par with top bars of London and New York." That's why.

Best of all is the cocktail price tag - each one setting you back a handsome £4.50 with your festival wristband.

Here's all the vital information you need to know about Manchester Loves Cocktails.

The Venues

The full list of venues so far confirmed for the inaugural Manchester Loves Cocktails are below.

Wristbands will allow access to the venue and get you one of its special cocktails for £4.50 throughout the run of the festival - although some venues may require guests to book.

The bars, in alphabetical order, are:

The Alchemist

Arcane

Black Dog Ballroom

The Botanist

Cane & Grain

Corridor

Cottonopolis (pictured above)

El Gato Negro (pictured top)

Epernay

The Fitzgerlad

Gorilla

Hawksmoor (pictured below)

(Image: Vincent Cole)

HULA Manchester

The Liars Club

Luck Lust Liquor & Burn

Lost In Tokyo

Mojo

The Pen & Pencil

Red Door (Corrie stars Sair Khan, Katie McGlynn, Tisha Merry, and Bruno Langley are pictured above enjoying the bar's disco ball cocktail!)

Tariff & Dale

The Whiskey Jar

Tusk

The Cocktails

The idea is for each bar to create a new cocktail that says something about their venue, but also offers an interesting new slant to the participating brand spirits.

There's a big list of booze for bars to choose from, which so far includes:

Gins: Portobello Road, Tanqueray, Langleys, Aviation, Brockmans, Brooklyn, Death's Door, Whitley Neill

Tequilas & Mezcals: El Jimador, Montelobos mezcal, Don Julio, Meteoro mezcal

Rums: Bacardi, Blackwell, Cana Brava, El Dorado, Santa Teresa

Vodkas: Ketel One, Aylesbury Duck, Reyka

Whiskies/Scotch: Hudson, Auchentoshan, Buffalo Trace, Hibiki, Jim Beam, Old Putney, Woodford Reserve

Others: Mediterranean citrus fruits drink Licor 43, saki Akashi-Tai, premium cognac Courvoisier

Venues are still working on their unique tipples, so stay tuned for updates.

Events

Overall, there'll be more than 40 special events happening throughout the week, from bar takeovers to tasting sessions and cocktail making competitions.

Among the highlights so far announced are:

The London Savoy Hotel taking over at El Gato Negro with its world-renowned American Bar - its focus being The Evolution of the Gin Cocktail, in association with Portobello Road gin.

The Gin Boss, Leon Dalloway, leading one of his Gin Journey trails around the city’s finest cocktail bars (as pictured below).

A whiskey cocktail pairing dinner at Tariff & Dale, in association with Woodford Reserve whiskey.

Blackdog Ballroom's tequila fuelled Gringo Bingo, in association with El Jimador - for which you might need morning after painkillers!

A night of American gin and swing dancing at Cane & Grain, in association with Death’s Door gin.

A Bourbon masterclass and groovy blues party at The Fitzgerald, in association with Hudson.

Tickets

(Image: The Vain Photography | Carl Sukonik)

Festival wristbands for £10 and are now on sale from the official Manchester Loves Cocktails website.

A wristband gains you access to events throughout the festival, and lets you purchase cocktails at the discounted price of £4.50.

Trade wristbands are also available for people in the bar industry, priced £5 (proof of employment must be shown on collection).