One of Manchester’s best cocktail bars is rolling out a whole menu dedicated to espresso martinis, in celebration of Espresso Martini Week.
Three Little Words, a bar, restaurant and distillery tucked beneath the arches of Manchester Central, is teaming up with Australian coffee liqueur brand Mr Black to craft the ultimate experience for espresso martini fans.
If you like your cocktails with a kick of caffeine, this is a week dedicated to the world’s most iconic coffee cocktail that you don’t want to miss.
They’re even giving you a chance to win a cocktail tree of four drinks for free.
Three Little Words takes its spirits seriously – it’s founded by Manchester Gin, and the bar is home to the Spirit of Manchester Distillery.
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That means a whole host of gins and vodkas are distilled right next to where you’ll be ordering your cocktails from, including Sphere Vanilla and Tonka vodka, which happens to be the perfect base for an espresso martini.
It’s not just the alcohol that’s taken seriously here either, with Three Little Words teaming up with the legendary Mancoco to create a custom coffee blend specifically for espresso martinis.
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Espresso Martini tree at Three Little WordsThree Little Words in Manchester has a full espresso martini menu
Running from Wednesday 12 to Sunday 16 March, Three Little Words has a full menu of five different espresso martinis for you to try.
There’s the classic you already know and love, made with Sphere Vanilla and Tonka Vodka and Mr Black Coffee Liqueur.
Then there’s a mind-bending illusion of an espresso martini, the bar’s brand-new Clear Collection #1 – it’s a completely clear cocktail (compared to the usual dark brown espresso martini), which still delivers all the velvety intensity of the classic.
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You can also order a Flat White Martini, which has Baileys in it; a Black Cherry Martini, featuring One-Eyed Rebel Black Cherry Spiced Rum; and the Mayan Martini, made with tequila and espresso.
Or if you can’t decide, order an espresso martini tree and you can mix and match any four espresso martinis in one go.
On Espresso Martini Day itself, which falls on Saturday 15 March, there’ll be Espresso Martini Tarot Cards in play – pick the winning card, and your espresso martini tree is free.
Three Little Words’ Espresso Martini Week celebrations will run from 12 until 16 March – find out more HERE.
Inside Manchester’s new padel club with a Pot Kettle Black cafe and courtside cocktail bar
Daisy Jackson
Padel is the fastest-growing sport in the world, and it’s really picking up speed in Manchester now too with another city centre club opening this month.
The Pollen Club is a little different to the others, in that it’s fully undercover and protected from Manchester’s less-than-favourable weather.
And another thing that makes it a must-visit is the cafe attached to it – a third site for the beloved Pot Kettle Black.
The Pollen Club and Pot Kettle Black have both taken over a prominent city centre spot just off Deansgate, at the foot of the recently-opened Treehouse Hotel.
There are two state-of-the-art padel courts inside, with a mezzanine terrace for enjoy Pot Kettle Black’s offerings.
In summer, there are plans to launch a bar downstairs too, where you can sip spritzes courtside from loungers and swing seats.
The exciting new Manchester padel club will host pop up events, DJ takeovers and an extended evening food offering.
Pot Kettle Black are part of the new padel clubInside Manchester’s new padel club, The Pollen ClubPot Kettle Black are part of the new padel club
And even if you’re not heading inside The Pollen Club, Pot Kettle Black has a grab-and-go hatch facing onto Blackfriars Street, making their delicious coffees, sandwiches and pastries (from their own bakery Half Dozen Other) even more accessible.
Commenting on the opening of the new site, Pot Kettle Black co-owner, Mark Flanagan said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have opened our third Pot Kettle Black site at The Padel Club. This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the team.
“After ten years in the city we’ve been enjoying seeing some familiar faces stopping by for a coffee and we can’t wait to get started on our programme of summer events!”
Insomnia Cookies is giving away FREE cookies to anyone with these two names
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s late-night sweet treat spot Insomnia Cookies is dishing out freebies this week… but there’s a catch.
You have to be called one of two specific names to get one.
With the long bank holiday weekend upon us, those in-the-know will also have noticed that this Sunday isn’t just Easter Sunday, it also happens to be 4/20… and that means Insomnia Cookies is back with its ‘blazing’ £4.20 deal, giving you the chance to bag a box of four warm cookies while saving nearly £7 at the same time.
But even better still, if you happen to have either the first or middle name ‘Mary’ or ‘Jane’, then you can also get yourself a warm tasty cookie for free.
To mark both 4/20, and celebrate the launch of its newest strain of mouthwatering cookie, the Mary Jane, anyone called Mary or Jane can pop into either of Insomnia Cookies’ two Manchester city centre sites – Cross Street and University Green – show their valid ID with their name on, and walk alway with a cookie free of charge.
If you want to try the new Mary Jane cookie, then this limited-edition special is made up of a cookies n cream dough base, packed with rainbow sprinkles.
The freebie deal has been running all week, and you have up until 3am on Monday 21 April to take advantage of it.
Customers will be limited to one free cookie per day.
Insomnia Cookies is giving away free cookies to anyone with these two names / Credit: Insomnia Cookies UK
If you aren’t lucky enough to be called one of those two names though, then thankfully you can still make some great savings on a classic four-pack of cookies over the spring bank holiday weekend, and for every four-pack sold, £1 will be donated to Groundwork – a charity helping make Manchester greener for nature and for local people.
“We’re calling for Marys and Janes to join us to live the high life with free cookies all week,” commented Millie Ralston, Head of Marketing at Insomnia Cookies.
Daisy Jackson -
13th March 2025 
