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EUROVISION

Sweden among favourites after leaping through to Eurovision final

Cornelia Jakobs, Sweden's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest, burst into tears and jumped onto presenter Mario Acampas, after shooting through to the final on Thursday night.

Sweden among favourites after leaping through to Eurovision final
Sweden’s Eurovision entry Cornelia Jakobs leaps onto the presenter after going through to the final on Thursday night. Photo: Jessica Gow/TT

Jakobs was emotional at the press conference after her victory, telling the story of her progress from an “largely unknown” indie artist to the Eurovision stage. 

“There are a lot of feelings right now in this little body, an extremely large amount of feelings that can’t really fit in, so they’re exploding,” she said, before beginning to cry. “But I’m so happy and overwhelmed by all the support I’ve got from all these fantastic countries.” 

When the time came to pick lots for which half of the final she would appear in, she leapt onto Mario Acampas, the presenter asking questions at the press conference, wrapping her legs around his waist and clasping herself tightly to his torso. 

He then walked her over to the bowl where the lots were lying. 

“I want you to choose the second half,” she said to him. “Imagine that I have a pistol here and on the count of three I’m going to shoot you if you don’t choose.”

He refused to pick for her so she took one herself and got the second half. 

Jakobs, with her song, “Hold me closer”, was the clear favourite to go into the final, and will go through alongside Finland’s The Rasmus, and his song Jezebel, Serbia’s Konstrakta with “In corpore sano”, as well as entries from Belgium, Czechia, Azerbaijan, Poland, Estonia, Australia, and Romania. 

You can see her performance on Thursday in the video below. 

In the final, she will meet the other favourites, which include Ukraine, Italy, and the United Kingdom. 

The final will be shown on Sweden’s state broadcaster SVT at 9pm on Saturday. 

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MALMÖ

Five cocktail bars in Malmö to try for pre-dinner drinks

Malmö may not be the first city that comes to mind when you picture a swanky cocktail bar, but Sweden's third-largest city boasts its fair share of spots to grab a drink or two.

Five cocktail bars in Malmö to try for pre-dinner drinks

Care/of

This award-winning cocktail bar tucked away next to a barber’s shop is a must for any fans of cocktails. It’s tiny, so make sure to make a reservation if you want to be sure to get a seat.

Their cocktails are a mix of classic drinks and their own inventions, including the Guess what?, an ever-changing cocktail made up of whatever the bartender creates that day, as well as a few mocktails, beers and wines.

Want something special or a classic drink not on their menu? Just ask the bartender and they’ll make it for you.

At around 160 kronor for a cocktail, this is maybe not the kind of place you stay in all evening, but is a perfect place to have a couple of drinks before a concert at Malmö Live, which is just around the corner.

They serve small bites for 120 kronor or hotdogs for 100 kronor, so probably best to go somewhere else for dinner.

Address: Fiskehamnspromenaden 11c

Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 4pm-late, with a cocktail brunch on Saturdays from 12-3pm

MALMÖ NIGHTLIFE:

BISe

BISe, short for Bisous, the French word for a kiss on the cheek, is a restaurant, wine bar and cocktail bar in the city centre which opened in 2022.

Not only is the food good, but the drinks are too – BISe was nominated in the “sommeliers’ drink experience” category at the Swedish Gastronomy awards in 2023 and again this year.

The bar, Bar Bisou, serves traditional cocktails with BISe’s own twist, which change with the seasons. Why not try a Negroni with Meyer lemons and Sicilian blood orange, a vegan White Russian with BISe’s own coffee liqueur, or the inventively-titled Istället för Old Fashioned (“Instead of Old Fashioned”) with homemade raspberry vinegar and fig leaves? They even have a couple of mocktails, like a non-alcoholic negroni (a NOgroni), and spritz from Scanian producers Franka.

Address: Norra Vallgatan 88

Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 3pm-11pm, Fri-Sat 3pm-midnight

Boulebar

This might seem like a bit of an odd option on a list of cocktail bars, but Boulebar is more than just a place to go to play a few rounds of petanque. Their cocktail list is small but perfectly formed, like their Angélique Papon with gin, St Germain elderflower liqueur, cucumber and lime, or their Pommango Spritz, with vodka, apple, mango and crémant. You can also get a glass of pastis to enjoy while you boule if that’s more your thing.

Address: Drottningtorget 8 or Norra Parkgatan 6

Opening hours: Drottningtorget: Mon-Weds 3pm-11pm, Thurs-Fri 3pm-midnight, Saturday 10:30-midnight. Folkets Park opening hours vary depending on season.

Scania

This bar, which has no relation to the truck company, specialises in a frankly bizarre mix of Mexican-Korean fusion, where they serve bibimbap al pastor and burritos with kimchi. The bar, which is situated in the middle of the restaurant, boasts more than 35 different types of tequila, and it’s perhaps not a surprise that so many of their cocktails include tequila, too.

Here, you can try a chili margarita with a gochugaru-salted rim, or order a pitcher of the spicy Mexican beer and tomato-juice based cocktail michelada to share while you tuck into some kimchi fries.

Address: Bergsgatan 18

Opening hours: Tues-Sat 5pm-3am. Lunch Tues-Fri 11:30am-2pm.

KOL

KOL is a meat-centric restaurant specialising in food cooked on the grill – kol is the Swedish word for coal or charcoal. 

They have a wide range of drinks to go with your dinner, including wines, beers, non-alcoholic options and, yes, cocktails, which they make using their own freshly-pressed juices. You can choose a pre-dinner cocktail, like the Marilyn Monroe featuring vanilla vodka, passionfruit liqueur and sparkling wine, post dinner cocktails like the Port O’Berry – port spiked with blackberry and raspberry, or a whenever-you-feel-like-it cocktail off their drinks menu. Why not the aptly-name Dala Horse, with Swedish lingonberries paired with vodka, lime and ginger beer, or something from their gin menu, where you can choose from garnishes like dill, coffee beans, juniper and thyme? Don’t feel like cocktails? They have a good wine list too.

Address: Kalendegatan 16

Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 5pm-late, Fri-Sat 5pm-3am. Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30am-2pm

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