Unbeknownst to many, there is an award-winning cocktail bar hidden beneath Coronation Street‘s original cobbles serving up some of the best drinks in the city.
Recently named ‘one to watch’ at the UK’s Top 50 Bar awards 2023, Project Halcyon has also just won the Best New Bar award – voted for by a community of some 17,000 hospitality staff at this month’s Manchester Bar Awards (MBAs).
Brought to Manchester by the team behind Zymogorium distillery, it originally opened in early 2020 – launching just weeks before the Covid 19 pandemic hit.
Like many other operators, the secret speakeasy – which is connected to the working distillery for Manchester gin makers Zymogorium – closed its doors during lockdown, then quietly relaunched in late October last year beneath Old Granada Studios.
Since reopening, it’s been flooded with accolades. General Manager Adam has just been named amongst the UK’s top 100 bartenders by World Class UK, whilst house bartender Reah Owen recently won the Rising Star award at the MBAs.
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And yet, somehow, it’s still managing to fly under the radar as one of Manchester’s best-kept secrets – although, considering all the awards the team is winning, we expect this won’t remain the case for long.
Image: Project Halcyon
Image: Project Halcyon
The bar is something of a labyrinth with numerous corners to explore within its underground warren. As well as housing a large bar at its entrance, it’s also home to a dedicated absinthe parlour, Salon Vert, which has been painted to look like a woodland scene and features vintage crystal absinthe fountains.
Elsewhere, there’s a still room and laboratory where the team uses chemistry equipment to create all the insane ingredients that go into their cocktails.
Add to this a self-playing grand piano and a rare collection of expensive spirits, and it’s safe to say Project Halcyon is very much up there with the city centre’s best cocktail bars.
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As for its current drinks menu, open it up and you’ll discover that each signature cocktail is accompanied by a stunning illustration of a rare bird.
Choices include ‘Fourteen Days’, a long, tart drink that nods to the Halcyon days of Ancient Greece, and ‘Phoenix Down’, a smoky combination of smoky, nutty bourbon with bitter back notes that symbolises rebirth and eternal life.
Image: Project Halcyon
‘Murder of Crows’ (Chairmans Reserve Original – Cane Toad SMBS – Ming River Baijiu – Mandarin – 5 Spice). / Image: Project Halcyon
Elsewhere on the list, you’ll find the brilliantly-named cocktails ‘Act of Vanity’, a combination of melon liqueur, blueberry and Veuve Cliquot champagne, and ‘Murder of Crows’, a moody and short mix of spiced spirits that promises to be both dark and funky.
The bar also serves up a list of six house classics, all of which are prebatched, prediluted and kept at -14 degrees ready to be poured at your table. Interestingly, though, because the drinks are already kept at the right temperature they aren’t diluted with water but rather with a variety of house-made concoctions.
General Manager Adam told The Manc that the most famous of these is the house vodka martini, made with Boatyard vodka, Cocchi Americano vermouth and clarified banana juice as the dilute.
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Image: Project Halcyon
Image: Project Halcyon
“It makes for this insanely creamy, flavourful martini that’s classic but approachable,” he said, adding: “Our approach to the bar is that the science is for us to worry about, the hospitality is for the guests.
“We don’t put all this crazy techy stuff at the forefront of what we do. We prioritise good, classic, personal hospitality first and foremost.”
The bar also boasts a vast collection of rare and expensive spirits – and amongst the usual suspects, such as Louis XIII cognac, sit some interesting pieces like the latest seasonal release from Nc’nean and Elena Wright, the latter a close friend of the bar and an award-winning Manchester bartender.
It also serves up a strong selection of wines and beers, not to mention a cracking gin and tonic. Of course, being run by one of Manchester’s original craft gin distilleries, we’d expect nothing less.
Feature image – Project Halcyon
Eats
New smash burger joint launched by Almost Famous founders appears to shut for good
Daisy Jackson
A new smash burger joint opened by the team who originally founded the legendary Almost Famous appears to have closed after only eight months.
Super Awesome Deluxe, on Thomas Street, hasn’t been open since last week and has turned off deliveries online.
Super Awesome Deluxe launched in the Northern Quarter last October, serving up just three signature burgers (the Super, the Awesome, and the Deluxe).
It was a new takeaway brand from the same group who were, at the time, behind Almost Famous, one of Manchester’s most popular burger joints.
While Almost Famous was famed for its towers of patties and sauces and toppings, Super Awesome Deluxe opted for simpler smash burgers with crispy-edged patties.
Shortly after the launch of the new project, Almost Famous announced the shock closure of all of its sites (it was later bought out and reopened by D2, though some restaurants did close for good).
Super Awesome Deluxe continued to operate after the loss of Almost Famous, along with the ‘hidden’ cocktail bar beneath it, Ego Death.
Manchester burger joint Super Awesome Deluxe. Credit: The Manc GroupManchester burger joint Super Awesome Deluxe. Credit: The Manc Group
Beloved Stockport bar Bask is rebranding as Greater Manchester’s latest Irish bar
Danny Jones
Yes, one of the names synonymous with Stockport’s resurgent hospitality scene, Bask, is set to rebrand into yet another Irish bar following a flurry of openings across Greater Manchester.
The lively bar, breakfast and pub grub spot, also known for live music nights, matchday pints for Stockport County and various other events, has had a bit of a turbulent period over the past few months or so, but remains a much-loved local venue.
Bask were forced to issue a statement following an arrest back in February, and one of the founding members behind the venture also stepped away in August 2024.
Looking to close that door firmly behind them, the team – now headed up by native DJ and producer Jon Fitz (John Fitzpatricks) – are set to launch the all-new Fitzpatricks “very soon.”
Fitz (a Stopfordian by birth) announced the latest iteration of the unit located just next to Stockport train station on social media late last month, writing: “It’s been a long time coming, and we’ve poured our hearts into this one — we’re aiming to open very very soon…”
Detailing a distinct Irish-American theme, influenced by the “friendly bars of Boston to the lively streets of New York City, Fizpatricks brings that gritty charm and warm hospitality across the pond, fusing Irish roots with American spirit.
Fans of Bask’s roots in entertainment will also be glad to hear that lineups of live music will remain “every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday — with the best of Irish, American and Country music.”
With co-creator Benji Taylor, who ultimately stepped away last year, having brought his music industry background to the business model, live entertainment has also been a big selling point of the bar and, thankfully, will remain so.
Bask Makes Way for a New Look
After 3 unforgettable years of cocktails, creativity, and community, it’s time for a bold new chapter. Bask, the bar that brought Stockport a unique blend of nightlife and culture, is evolving.
In terms of food, Fitzpatricks will be delivering everything from classic American comfort food to “healthy gym options” as part of their new bar and grill approach, along with a proper Sunday roast menu.
Perhaps most notably, much like Taylor’s influence over the course of his tenure, the new-look venue is set to further immerse itself in the local sports experience, promising plenty of cold pints for the punters heading to the match at Edgeley Park, as well as an exciting brand new ‘360 multi-screen experience’ and more.
Fitzpatricks even looks set to embark on an official partnership with Stockport County ahead of the 2025/26 League One season – a big coup, indeed.
Bask may be over, but there’ll always be the memories. In fact, we wagered it was the best night in Stockport, so here’s hoping Fitzpatricks can follow in its footsteps. We can’t wait to see what comes next and can’t wait to split another G or two.
Georgina Pellant -
26th March 2023 
