One of Manchester’s newest cocktail bars has swooped into the prestigious Top 50 Cocktail Bars list just six months after it opened.
Blinker, which is on Spring Gardens, said it was ‘thrilled’ and also ‘taken by surprise’ to receive the recognition so early on.
The gorgeous bar was opened in May by ex-Gordon Ramsay bars boss Dan Berger, and has gone from strength to strength.
It features an entire menu of martinis, plus another of old fashioneds, while the rest of the cocktail offering changes seasonally to champion local ingredients.
Where Blinker has placed in The Top 50 Cocktail Bars list will be unveiled at a glittering event in February, but the bars have begun to be notified of their entries into the prestigious guide.
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Blinker’s cocktails. Credit: The Manc GroupBlinker. Credit: The Manc Group
In recent years, Manchester’s bar scene has really elbowed its way into the top 50, with both Speak in Code (10th place) and Schofield’s bar (16th) making the 2022 list.
Last year’s top spot was nabbed by Lab 22 in Glasgow, with London and Edinburgh dominating most of the rest of the top 10.
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On receiving its award, Blinker wrote: “We are thrilled to receive this after only existing for 6 months! To be included in the top 50 cocktail bars for the UK has taken us by surprise and we thank everyone who believes and supports us! Excited for the event in London come February!”
When The Manc Eatspopped down to Blinker during its opening week, we were blown away by the martini offering and by the bar’s signature cocktail, a deliciously strong Prohibition-era cocktail called the Blinker, which fell out of favour when whiskey sours surged in popularity.
Our review said: “A combination of raspberry, grapefruit, and rye, it blends winter citrus and corn whisky in perfect harmony and will do much to appease Pornstar martini fans once they realise their passionfruit favourite is nowhere to be found.
“And if that doesn’t do it, Blinker’s Champagne martini certainly will.
“Unable to resist that particular section, we dove straight in with a classic Martinez – which seemed fitting, being the direct precursor to the martini – before moving on to sample a dry Vesper martini and a sweet Champagne martini, both viscously ice-cold.
“We try other things too: a sharp and frothy rhubarb sour, a fiery ginger and rhubarb drink, a tropical old-fashioned, and a Southside fizz, but after leaving I just can’t stop thinking about the martinis.”
Featured image: The Manc Group
Eats
Glitzy Spinningfields bar famed for its bottomless deals shuts down
Daisy Jackson
Popular cocktail bar group Banyan has suddenly closed its glitzy bar in the heart of Spinningfields.
The restaurant and bar, which is part of the Arc Inspirations group that also operates Manahatta and Box, has shut down with immediate effect.
A sign has been posted in the window of the Spinningfields site of Banyan confirming its closure.
Banyan opened in 2018 and was the second site for the brand, which has been operating out of the Corn Exchange since 2015.
Inside, the huge 7,000sq ft space was split into spaces for drinking, dining and dancing, including a large mezzanine and a huge white marble bar.
Banyan is famed for its bottomless deals, whether that’s a classic bottomless brunch or their bottomless Sunday roast (endless Yorkshire puddings, gravy, wine, and roast potatoes).
It also offered two-for-one cocktails, all day every day.
The bar stands on the side of Spinningfields, directly opposite The Ivy and alongside The Alchemist.
Banyan in Spinningfields has shut downThe note in the window of Banyan
But now it has permanently closed its doors, thanking people for their custom over its almost-decade in Manchester.
The sign on the door says: “Banyan Spinningfields is now permanently closed.
“Thank you so much for your custom over the years, we’ve loved being part of this wonderful city and have made so many friends.
“Don’t be a stranger, we’d love to continue to welcome you to our Banyan bar in the Corn Exchange. Team Banyan.”
Bangkok Diners Club moves out of Ancoats just months after Michelin Guide win
Daisy Jackson
Bangkok Diners Club, the critically-acclaimed restaurant above the Edinburgh Castle pub, has closed its restaurant space.
The Thai restaurant was added to the Michelin Guide last October, not long after taking over the upstairs of the popular pub.
It also received a rave review in The Guardian from restaurant critic Grace Dent, who said it would be ‘one of Manchester’s hottest dining tickets’.
But now Bangkok Diners Club has decided its time in Ancoats is up, and has closed its beautiful restaurant space with immediate effect.
In an email sent to customers with reservations, they wrote that Bangkok Diners Club ‘sadly won’t be returning to Edinburgh Castle’.
Owners and husband-and-wife team Ben and Bo Humpheys aren’t leaving things there though, announcing plans to move into the Exhibition food hall on Peter Street.
Co-owner Ben Humphreys outside Bangkok Diners Club. Credit: The Manc GroupThe food earned them a place in the Michelin Guide. Credit: The Manc Group
They’ll be joining MoreJoy and pasta concept Anatra in the space, but bidding farewell to their own dedicated restaurant for now.
The email sent to customers reads: “We have just noticed that the system has allowed you to make a reservation during a time that we are closed. We apologise that this has happened.
“Ben and Bo are cooking at Exhibition during 2026 and Bangkok Diners Club sadly won’t be returning to Edinburgh Castle.
“Sincerest apologies for all the inconvenience caused.”
Daisy Jackson -
14th December 2022 
