A bar in Manchester has made the move to introduce a ridiculously cheap drinks deal, pricing a number of its most popular bevs at just £2.50 each.
Yes, that’s right. Every Friday night for the foreseeable future, Alvarium in the Northern Quarter will be serving up bottles of beer, alongside spirits and glasses of red, white and rose wine at a super low rate.
Perfect for helping those struggling with the high cost of, well, everything right now, this is a way to get the Christmas presents sorted and still go out celebrating the festive season with your mates. Happy days.
Image: Alvarium
Image: Alvarium
The Northern Quarter bar, which stays open until 1am on Fridays, launched a new extended happy hour earlier this summer that saw it offer two bottles of San Miguel for £5, two cocktails for £10 and bottles of house wine at £12.50 each.
Now, however, Alvarium’s owners have taken things a step further – taking the pricing structure back to the nineties with a range of £2.50 drinks available every Friday.
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As well as wine and beer, you’ll find tasty spritzes sitting alongside other festive-themed cocktails like ‘Santa’s Little Helper’ (a mix of brandy, bourbon, lemon, cranberry and orange) and ‘Winter Berries’ (vodka, apple, passionfruit, grenadine and lemonade).
Sharing the news online over the weekend, the dog-friendly cocktail bar and kitchen wrote: “INTRODUCING THE FRIDAY NIGHT SOCIAL.
“Due to the success of last week’s party […] to promote our happy hour running all night long, we’ve decided why not take it one step further… and continue our £2.50 (YES, £2.50) Friday Night drinks.
“All Friday, every Friday we’ll be serving selected drinks for £2.50. No need to book, just head down, booze up.”
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Image: Alvarium
Image: Alvarium
On the £2.50 drinks menu, you’ll find bottles of Mahou Spanish beer, small glasses of temperanillo, temp rose and viura, plus a cinnamon and orange spritz with lemon and fizz.
Elsewhere, choose from ‘Orange and Berries’, made with Jameson orange, lemon, cranberry and more orange, and the self-explanatory ‘Tequila and Lemon’.
The bar has previously hosted kitchen pop-ups from the likes of vegan kitchen Black Leaf, Manchester slab shack Lazy Tony’s Lasagneria, and Abeja Tapas Bar.
Now it has taken its food offering back in-house, serving up a selection of locally-sourced meat and cheese boards loaded with an array of pickles, chutneys, crackers, giant slices of sourdough and more – perfect for soaking up all that cheap, cheap booze.
To find out more, head down this Friday to check it out for yourself. Lord knows we could all do with a cheeky discount this month.
Feature image – Alvarium
Eats
A huge festival dedicated to tequila and mezcal is coming to Manchester this month
Daisy Jackson
Manchester’s first-ever Mezcal and Tequila Festival is taking place this month, filling Manchester Cathedral with tastings, masterclasses, cocktails and street food.
The massive event will see the Grade I-listed building transformed into an agave spirits tasting floor, featuring more than 100 varieties of premium tequilas and mezcals from some of Mexico’s best producers including El Jimador, Ojo de Tigre, El Sueno, Los Arcos, Del Maguey, Cazcabel, Komos, Nixta, Tapatio, El Tequileno, Tiempo and many more.
Festival-goers will be able to gain exclusive insights into the craftsmanship behind these spirits, sampling (responsibly, of course) from dozens of stands.
All samples, plus a limited-edition clay tasting copita, will be included in the ticket price – there’s no token system here and no extra charges for samples.
The new Mexican-inspired drinks festival only debuted in Glasgow back in Spring 2023 but it unsurprisingly went down an absolute storm – after all, what’s not to like a big festival full of booze?
Bartenders will stir up cocktails at the bespoke cocktail bar while the crowds are kept fed by delicious street food, including Mexican-inspired Taco Or Don’t, previously featured at the British Streetfood Awards.
And it’d be remiss of you to leave the festival empty-handed when you can take a taste of Mexico home from the exclusive bottle shop provided by Drinkmonger on site (with discount tokens included in the ticket price).
A tequila and mezcal festival is heading on Manchester. Credit: Supplied
Colin Campbell, one of Copita’s co-founders said: “We’re really excited to be bringing Copita to Manchester. It’s gone down brilliantly in Glasgow the last two years so we felt now was the right time to take it on the road and we couldn’t think of a better place than Manchester to head to next!
“It’s a really easy-going event with a great atmosphere, lots of local street food, shopping and music, so whether you’re an aficionado or a casual sipper we’re confident you’ll have a great time.”
The Copita Mezcal and Tequila Festival will be at Manchester Cathedral on Saturday 14 September.
Lina Stores – Italian deli restaurant serving homemade pasta and more is heading to Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Lina Stores is set to open its very first restaurant in Manchester early next year, taking its beloved mix of handmade pasta and deli food outside of London for the first time.
80 years after opening for the first time in Soho, Lina Stores is heading north to open a 150-cover restaurant.
Blending coffee shop, delicatessen, restaurant, and bar, the new space will be styled in traditional Lina Stores shades of pastel green hues, warm timber woods, and terrazzo and timber flooring.
You’ll find bespoke marble tables, original vintage Bentwood chairs, dark green booth seating and opaline globe lighting inspired by the original Brewer Street delicatessen.
Diners will be spoilt with an Italian-inspired breakfast menu, featuring dishes like truffle scrambled eggs with toasted sourdough, Greek yoghurt with Italian Macedonia fruit salad, and a selection of breakfast panini.
At lunchtimes and dinner there’ll be antipasti such as ricotta and herb gnudi fritti with Calabrian chilli marmellata, and tuna crudo with capers, pink peppercorn and salsa verde.
Lina Stores Manchester will have the brand’s beloved pasta dishes, such as the 30-egg yolk taglioni with black truffle, and lamb sausage ragu pappardelle, plus new options like lemon sole and potato raviolo.
For secondi (because this is Italy darling, you can have two mains!) there are dishes like chicken Milanese and Luganega fennel sausage.
And for dessert, it’s set to be a feast of Sicilian cannolo (filled with ricotta, pistachio and chocolate) and tiramisu.
Lina Stores – Italian deli restaurant serving homemade pasta and more is heading to Manchester. Credit: Rebecca Hope
In the open-plan delicatessen, you’ll be able to grab filling salads, freshly-made panini, and delicate cakes and pastries.
Shelves will be stocked with Lina Stores Collection pantry essentials, from olive oil to traditional biscotti.
And just next to that will be Bar Lina, serving classic and modern Italian cocktails for aperitivo hour until late at night.
Expect favourites like the bloody martini, Rinomata americano, and the basilico with gin, vermouth, basil and lemon.
The bar will have a versatile wine list from all corners of Italy, including the brand’s own signature collection.
Lina Stores Manchester will be located on Quay Street in the recently-refurbished Quoin building, right opposite the Opera House theatre.
Masha Rener, Head Chef of Lina Stores, said: “We’re extremely excited to be opening in Manchester this spring.
“The city feels like a natural home for us considering the area’s rich history, vibrant culinary scene and lively nightlife, and look forward to sharing our passion of great Italian food and produce with the Manchester community.
“Quay Street is the perfect location for us to do so, sitting right in the trifecta of Spinningfields, St John Street and St Peter’s Square.”