World Cocktail Day 2023: Why sushi rice and cheese are among new trends – and where to get award-winning cocktails in Scotland

There seems to be a day for everything now – I mean have you truly lived if you’ve not celebrated Artichoke Heart Day or Liquorice Day?

But one that’s sure to appeal to most is World Cocktail Day, which takes place today – conveniently on a Saturday this year.

As the name suggests, World Cocktail Day is a global celebration of cocktails and falls on May 13 each year as that was the publication date of the first definition of a cocktail in 1806. The New York tabloid The Balance and Columbian Repository defined a cocktail as "a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters".

These days cocktails can be far more complex, with some bizarre sounding trends catching on in recent months – such as using sushi rice in stirred drinks and cheese as a fat wash in others. With regards to using rice, which adds a smoother texture to drinks, Mike Aikman, owner of award-winning cocktail bar Bramble in Edinburgh, as well as Mothership and Lucky Liquor, explains the technique. He says: "It (rice) will add starch, which would help with mouthfeel in something like a Negroni.”

May 13 is World Cocktail Day

While cheese seems a bit off-putting for most, there’s method in this madness as apparently. Because of its salt and fat content, cheese brings texture and depth to a cocktail. But you need the right kind and quantity, making this one to probably avoid at home.

Edinburgh’s award-winning Panda & Sons have developed and recently launched a new menu that uses freezing techniques perfected by owner Iain McPherson.

“The new menu is for those that want to ‘geek out’ on the new techniques or simply want to drink great cocktails and don’t care how they’re made,” said McPherson. The new menu, Transcend, features 16 cocktails that celebrate the team’s foray into freezing using four core techniques – Switching, Sous Pression, Freeze Drying and Cryo Concentration.

For more mind bending drinks, head to Absent Ear, The Gate and Lunar in Glasgow, Orchid in Aberdeen and 3 Session Street in Dundee. Or if you’re making your own at home, whisky cocktails tend to be the easiest, with a classic old fashioned only needing four ingredients. No matter how you choose to toast World Cocktail Day, enjoy and cheers!