Shaken, stirred & straight outta Brighton: Meet the founder of Brighton Cocktail Festival

With the inaugural Brighton Cocktail Festival about to shake things up, we cornered founder Harry Philippson – bar-hopper, spirit-launcher, and professional cocktail obsessive – to find out how it all began, what makes Brighton’s bar scene so special, and crucially, what drink Hove would be if it were a cocktail.

Brighton’s renowned for its bar scene – why do you think it’s got such a great reputation?

Brighton’s bar scene is absolutely amazing. I don’t know any other city in the world where you can visit so many incredible bars all within walking distance of each other, and all with such a unique offering. You can go from a 1920-style speakeasy to a graffiti whisky bar, art gallery bar, Japanese-inspired, beachfront bar and much much more all within a few minutes, and this is what Brighton Cocktail Festival is all about – going around the city and discovering Brighton’s exceptional cocktail scene. 

Speaking of the festival, it all kicks off this weekend – how did it come about?

I moved down to Brighton & Hove after lockdown, and was absolutely blown away by the incredible cocktail culture here. People (quite rightly!) already know about Brighton’s amazing food scene, so I thought it was about time we also celebrated the exceptional bars, mixologists, and cocktails throughout the city. And what better way to do this than a city-wide cocktail festival where you can discover and support dozens of Brighton’s best bars.

Is there one thing that people would never guess goes into running a cocktail festival?

Surprisingly, I’m actually getting quite fit organising Brighton Cocktail Festival. There are 40 amazing bars taking part where bartenders and owners are far too busy running their businesses to spend time reading and sending emails, so all important updates for the bars happen in person – I’m spending a lot of time walking around Brighton & Hove! I love this part of my job, even though bartenders are incredibly busy – they’ve always got time to sit down and have a chat in person. Brighton definitely has the most welcoming and hospitable hospitality scene I’ve ever come across. 

READ ALSO: Brighton gets its first-ever cocktail festival

We have to ask: how many cocktails have you tried in the name of quality control this year? Have you got a favourite?

I’m proud to say I’ve tried all 120 of the festival cocktails (a third of them are non-alcoholic cocktails), and they’re all top-notch. I really couldn’t pick a favourite, though, even if I wanted to.

What’s the weirdest or most unexpected cocktail on the festival menu?

I love unexpected cocktails, and there are so many in the festival. From Bar Valentino’s Coco-Pops-washed whisky and gin cocktail Cereal Killer [Ed: We loved this one] to No.124 by GuestHouse’s Sussex beef fat-washed bourbon cocktail Boozy Cow and The Plotting Parlour’s The Last Celebration with banana and pineapple-infused rum and chocolate and coconut foam!

Most people will be taking their friends to the festival, but if you could invite any celebrity (living or dead) to the festival, who would it be and what would you serve them?

Oh, I’d definitely take Freddie Mercury to Lucky Voice, where Brighton Cocktail Festival ticket holders get 30 minutes of free karaoke with their festival cocktail orders Sunday to Thursday (subject to availability), and belt out ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ over a couple of cocktails – can you imagine?!

WATCH THIS: Brighton Cocktail Festival preview

It’s not great to drink on an empty stomach, so where’s your go-to to line your belly before going out or to refuel the following day?

A Fika ‘filthy fried egg’ sandwich always sorts me right out. I’m also a huge fan of chicken wings and cocktails (if you didn’t know by now?!), so I spend a lot of time at The Joker where they always nail both of these. 

We’ve got a few Brighton-specific questions for you now: What’s the most ‘Brighton’ cocktail you’ve ever encountered?

It’s actually a cocktail being served up at Apiary as part of the festival. Apiary is the independent, bee-inspired bar run by two passionate beekeepers who champion local and sustainability (two things I’m proud to say Brightonians often support!). Their festival cocktail Hivewire includes Apiary’s homemade Sussex honey and coffee liqueur called ‘Buzz’, bitter honey aperitif and B Corp Desdeya Tequila, all topped up with carbon-neutral and female-founded Double Dutch tonic water and garnished with a coffee bean. I mean, can you get much more Brighton than that?!

And finally, the city has a lot of distinctive areas – what cocktail do you reckon sums some of them up? 

Brighton: Espresso Martini
Kemptown: Spicy Marg
Hove: Dry Martini
Seven Dials: Amaretto Sour
Preston Park: French 75

Nailed it! If you want to keep the cocktail magic going after the festival, Harry also runs Brighton Cocktail Tours all year round, taking small groups to three different bars, for three different cocktails from three different centuries.

Brighton Cocktail Festival runs from Friday 19th to Sunday 28th September. Tickets cost £20 and drinks are £6 for boozy and £5 for booze-free.
brightoncocktailfestival.com