Where do cocktail competitions happen? The dream answer is in some smoke- (or at least dry ice-) filled room somewhere. But creativity and innovation more often starts behind your local bar, and the World Class Cocktail Festival will showcase the finest mixes in 20 participating bars this year. 

This celebration of drink-mixing innovation runs across the UK in April, with bartenders from the country’s top 100 bars submitting their most creative drinks incorporating Diageo brands Singleton 12-year-old whisky, Don Julio Reposado tequila or alcohol-free Seedlip Garden 108. The submissions, along with other limited-edition serves, are available to the public at participating bars, which include Edinburgh haunts Hey Palu, Panda & Sons, Gleneagles Townhouse and The Court, as well as spots like Daddy Marmalades, Absent Ear and The Last Bookstore in Glasgow.

For a full list of the 20 bars involved across Scotland, along with the names of the bartenders you should ask for to sample their competition entries, visit TheBar's official site.

The World Class Cocktail Festival runs until Sunday 27 April.