COCKTAIL Fusion returns for its second outing as part of Brighton Cocktail Week. Nick Mosley talks to some of the participating chefs and mixologists about what to expect from this highly creative one-off food and cocktail event.

The premise behind Cocktail Fusion is simple. In advance of the event, a chef and cocktail mixologist are randomly matched and then challenged to come up with a complementary dish and cocktail using a rum from Bacardi’s premium range. Participants are invited to be be as creative and experimental as they can, to create unique courses that both taste and look amazing.

Last year, the event was hosted at the Plotting Parlour and saw some of the biggest names in Brighton’s bar industry team up with street food style chefs. This year’s event takes another leap forward with chefs from some of the city’s top restaurants and bars participating including Murmur, Curry Leaf Café, Isaac At, Boho Gelato, 64 Degrees, Drakes, Fourth and Church, Merkaba and host venue La Choza.

“We are very excited to be hosting Cocktail Fusion this year at our La Choza on Western Road”, said Aoife Sweeney of La Choza. “It’s our new larger site perfect for events and parties”.

“Cocktail Fusion is a creative fun event that lets a chef and a mixologist explore common ingredients and get a bit wacky with their drinks and dishes”.

“I’m really looking forward to the event”, said Seb Cole of Boho Gelato in Pool Valley. “Particularly as I have been paired with Simeon from Murmur who has a great reputation as a mixologist”.

“I can’t reveal too much about our drink-dish combo but I can say that it includes a couple of non conventional flavours such as beetroot. Sim has a great combination of flavours going on in his drink and we are echoing these in our frozen petit fours; there is also going to be a theatrical element too so we are hoping to impress the judges and finish with a flourish”.

Sam Pryor of Fourth and Church in Hove added “It has been a really a good opportunity to see the interrelation of food with spirits which react quite differently to wines which we’d usually be pairing our dishes with at Fourth and Church”.

“It’s great to work with people from other restaurants across the city and really interesting to combine knowledge and techniques from both cooking and mixology.”

Thomas Waite of Merkaba bar at My Brighton Hotel in Jubilee Square said: “It’s a very interesting event for me to be a part of, as I think being a chef and a mixologist have many similarities – we love to combine different flavours to create something unique. I’m partnering with chef George Thomas from Isaac At and we think that competing against some of the hospitality greats in the city is a very exciting opportunity.”

Cocktail Fusion is on Monday, July 9 from 7pm at La Choza on Western Road. Tickets are £35 in advance including five courses with matched cocktails from 01273 325 444.

For more information about all Brighton Cocktail Week events visit www.brightoncocktailweek.com.