Manchester will bloom into one of the most picturesque places in the country this week, as the annual Manchester Flower Show returns for 2022.
This year, the huge event – which is brought to the city by Manchester BID – coincides with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and her 70 years on the throne, and so, in a bid to appropriately celebrate, you can expect to see fabulous Royal-inspired floral trails, gardens, and green installations take over the city centre for the extended bank holiday weekend.
Floral installations named The Crown Jewels, Queen Bee, and The Ju-bee-lee Garden are just some of the Royal-themed installations festival-goers can expect to see as they make their way around the city centre.
Taking place from Thursday 2 – Sunday 5 June, The Manchester Flower Show will also see shop windows, squares, and statues will be given botanical makeovers beyond the official trail, and there’s even an array of alfresco drink and dining options taking place throughout the event too.
The Manchester Flower Show Cocktail Trail is one of the highlight events in the festival’s calendar this year / Credit: The Manc Group
14 of Manchester’s popular bars, restaurants, and hotels are taking part in the trail by serving up floral-themed cocktails especially for the occasion, and it means drinks lovers can make their way around all four corners of the city centre, sipping cocktails in the sunshine along the way.
Here’s a round-up of all the cocktails on offer as part of 2022’s edition of The Manchester Flower Show Cocktail Trail.
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All Bar One
Tarqueenie – £10.25
This cocktail mixes Tarquin’s Raspberry & Rhubarb gin, Martini Bianco, Fever-Tree Raspberry & Orange Blossom Soda, and is garnished with lemon and raspberries.
Freixenet x Chambord Berry Spritz – £10.50
Also at All Bar One, this cocktail collaboration mixes Chambord, Freixenet Prosecco and Soda, and is garnished with raspberry and mint.
El Gato Negro
Violet Flower
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This delicate cocktail mixes gin and violette liqueur, and is flavoured with lemon and cranberry.
Franco Manca
Aperol Spritz – £6.75
King Street restaurant Franco Manca has gone with the Italian classic of Aperol Spritz – which mixes Aperol and Prosecco, and is garnished with an orange slice
Grand Pacific Manchester
Royal Bloom – £9
Described as a “bouquet of flavours”, this cocktail pairs violet and orange liquors, with a hint of fresh lemon.
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14 of Manchester’s popular bars, restaurants, and hotels are taking part in the trail / Credit: The Manc Group
Habas
Raspberry & Rose Spritz
This cocktail combines Belsazar rose, elderflower liqueur, pomegranate and rose syrup, and lemon juice, and is topped with Fever Tee raspberry and rose soda.
Harvey Nichols x Manchester Gin Bar
The Summer Garden Spritz – £8
This is a floral and bright take on an Aperol Spritz, featuring Manchester Gin Raspberry Infused Gin and Forty-Five Vermouth Radiant Rose.
Harvey Nichols Second Floor Deli Bar
The Lilibet – £14
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This cocktail mixes Ramsbury Single Estate Gin, Belsazar Rosé Vermouth, Boudier Créme de Fraises, and Harvey Nichols Brut Champagne.
KALA Bistro
Blooming Beautiful
This floral cocktail mixes Żubrówka Bison Grass Vodka, St Germain Elderflower, and Jasmine Tea, and is garnished with lemon and basil.
All participating venues are serving up floral-themed cocktails especially for the occasion / Credit: The Manc Group
Miller & Carter
Miller & Carter French Martini – £8.25
This cocktail is made from Ciroc Pinapple vodka, Chambord Black Raspberry liqueur, and pineapple juice that is shaken and served straight up.
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Pot Kettle Black
Grapefruit Gin Spritz
Barton Arcade favourite PKB’s is serving up a sparkling cocktail with gin, Campari, and grapefruit juice that is topped with soda.
Rosso
Malaka’s Mirakle
This cocktail mixes Johnnie Walker Blue Label Whisky, Italicus Rosolio Bergamot Liqueur, Muyu Jasmine Verte Liqueur, and Cedar Mist
Rosso says it’s a celebration of craftsmanship, achievement, excellence, exploration, and boundary breaking, with over 21 unique flavours combined and finished with floral fruits in modernised Old Fashioned delicacy.
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Starbucks
Strawberry Acai Refresher
For those looking to ditch the alcohol, the St Ann’s Square branch of Starbucks is serving up a hydrating drink of sweet strawberry flavours that is accented by acai notes, and is shaken with real strawberries.
Drinks lovers can make their way around all four corners of the city centre to sip cocktails in the sunshine / Credit: The Manc Group
Tast Catala
Primavera
King Street restaurant Tast Catala says its fruity and refreshing cocktail tastes “just like Spring”, and it’s a mix of green apple, Midori, lemon juice, and soda.
UrbanPlayground
Royal Garden – £9
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Even one of Manchester Arndale’s newest residents, Urban Playground, is getting in on the cocktail trail action this year, with a cocktail that mixes Hendricks, Apple & Cinnamon Shrub, and elderflower and cucumber tonic.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
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A dedicated anime, movie and gaming concert with a live orchestra is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
Calling all self-proclaimed otakus, cinephiles and gamers: a huge concert experience will see dozens of musicians bring classic anime, film and gaming soundtracks and scores to life later this year, right here in Manchester.
The city is no stranger to events celebrating these beloved kinds of media, but you’ll struggle to find another bringing all of them together in one place.
Brought to us Mancs by KIN Music Entertainment, a locally founded arts, events and music label, this celebration of all things pop culture – and specifically, the music tied to it.
Entitled ‘The Kin & Fushigi Anime, Film & Videogame Orchestra’, this passionate collective serves as not only a platform for rising artists but also to hear some iconic sonic moments like never before.
KIN have created a large-scale live concert experience which will bring together a 25-piece pop orchestra made up of emerging professional performers and conservatoire graduates.
Aside from the impressive total of people behind this production to begin with, they also form an immersive hybrid orchestral and live band capable of bringing.
Speaking on the upcoming date, KIN Entertainment said in a statement: “We wanted to create the kind of live experience that many anime and videogame fans in Manchester have been waiting for — something cinematic, emotional and community-driven that brings these sound worlds to life with the energy of both an orchestra and a live band.”
Kin was founded by bassist, composer and ensemble performer Alejandro Urbina Diaz, who first brought his talents and wider interests over from Mexico to the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) here in the city centre at the age of 23.
Citing Manchester’s multiculturalism and cosmopolitan cultural fabric as a big part of his inspiration, he and his team have ended up carving out this niche for themselves, and now they’ll be playing this beloved music to Mancs at none other than the O2 Ritz.
Credit: KIN Music Entertainment (supplied via Academy Music Group Digital)
With new arrangements inspired by anime, cinematic and videogame culture, not to mention orchestral and even rock crossover twists – including both vocalist and rhythm sections, by the way – it’s set to be a highly unique experience that most will have never come across before.
This event itself is suitable for audiences aged 14+, although under-16s must be accompanied by an adult, and it’s taking place at the Ritz on Sunday, 26 July.
We’re not going to spoil any more details about the show for you, so which particular pieces of pop culture they reference will just have to be a surprise…
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via AMG Digital)
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You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Manchester’s Deansgate
Daisy Jackson
There’s a brand-new menu of smokehouse-style BBQ dishes being served up on a sunny terrace on Deansgate.
Motley, the neighbourhood bar and restaurant on the corner of John Dalton Street, has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen.
That means they’ve got a whole load of new dishes, slow-cooked over hickory wood, that are bringing a taste of a Deep South BBQ to Manchester city centre.
The smokehouse-style meats are all seasoned in-house and cooked for hours, for a perfect fall-off-the-bone experience.
It might be an authentic American smokehouse menu, but it’s firmly British too, with most products locally sourced.
You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Deansgate / Credit: The Manc Group
Motley are calling on local suppliers like Althams Butchers (established since 1856) for their meat, plus greengrocers R Noone and Son, and Cheshire Farm for their real dairy ice cream.
Signature dishes on the new menu at Motley include slow smoked brisket, seasoned in Motley’s signature rub before being slow-smoked for more than eight hours.
There’s also a beef short rib with a chimichurri sauce, and a pork belly strip that’s seasoned with sage and onion and finished with a panko breadcrumb crust.
And for the veggies, there’s a vegan smoked veg kebab with courgette, mushrooms, bell pepper, sweet corn and red onion drizzled with homemade BBQ sauce.
Motley has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen / Credit: The Manc Group
Prices across the board start from just £16, served with beef dripping fries, rainbow slaw, pickles and homemade beef gravy.
As for small plates, you can expect short rib bonbons, homemade corn bread, spicy chicken wings, bang bang cauliflower, mac and cheese, and frickles.
House favourites like steak, vegetable hash, salads, and burgers will remain on the Motley menu.
Victor Gonzalez, food and beverage manager at Motley, said: “Our new signature smoked dishes are all crafted and seasoned in-house then slow cooked for hours over hickory wood to create rich and smoky melt-in-your mouth flavours.
“From our slow-smoked brisket to our home-made sides, everything has been carefully crafted to bring an authentic taste of the deep south to Manchester and we can’t wait for guests to try it.”
Motley can be found at 2 John Dalton Street on the corner of Deansgate in the city centre.
Emily Sergeant -
31st May 2022 
