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.
Family behind Salvi’s launch new concept, weeks after iconic restaurant closure
Daisy Jackson
Just weeks after the closure of its iconic, 16-year-old Italian restaurant in the Corn Exchange, the family behind Salvi’s have revealed a brand-new concept.
And this time, the reins are being handed over to the next generation.
Salvi’s founder Maurizio Cecco has helped to shape Amò, but it’s all the brainchild of his daughter, Sienna.
Sienna will run the business out of a unit up on Deansgate Mews, serving fresh pasta dishes, pizza sandwiches, tubs of tiramisu, and two-for-£10 spritzes.
The deli aspect of the original Salvi’s has been carried over to Amò too – you’ll find shelves almost to the ceiling filled with Italian pasta, wine, olive oils, pistachio spreads, and more.
Sienna has grown up in restaurants, with her parents launching Salvi’s when she was just two years old.
She said she wants the space to be a livelier, fresher version of the Italian restaurant that has been so loved by Mancs for so many years.
Sienna outside AmòFresh pasta dishesInside Amò by Salvi’sTheir viral frozen crema di caffeLemon granitaInside Amò by Salvi’sTiramisu pots
Amò, which is Neapolitan slang for ‘my love’, will have loads of fresh Italian dishes, including arancini, gnocchi, and hearty pasta plates.
At lunchtimes, guests can order from a £10 lunch menu, with dishes changing daily depending on the best produce the kitchen can get – it could be a pizza sandwich with proscuitto and tomato, a spicy pasta, or a gnocchi bake, always served with your choice of soft drink.
With its position on Deansgate Mews, Amò basks in the sunshine at lunchtimes.
And while it’s definitely a different concept to the original Salvi’s, Amò looks set to carry the family’s Italian food legacy into its next generation.
Award-winning Didsbury bakery La Chouquette reveals incredible new site
Daisy Jackson
La Chouquette is one of Greater Manchester’s top bakeries – an award-winner, with queues down the street every weekend for its authentic French pastries and loaves.
And now they’re ready for a new chapter, revealing a major expansion today.
Owners Catrina and Flo have painstakingly expanded the bakery into the unit next door, creating what feels like a true French bakery.
And in the midst of this huge renovation project, they’ve welcomed a tiny new baby boy – quite the summer for the couple.
Catrina and Flo launched La Chouquette in lockdown, and in a time where people could only get their hospitality fix from takeaways, immediately became one of the most popular spots in the region.
Their success has been so great, you’ll still consistently find queues down the street every weekend, for their top sellers like their authentic almond croissants.
Then in October 2024, they grew the business and launched Piqniq, a new deli in Didsbury village, serving freshly-baked baguette sandwiches, breakfast butties, toasties, tiramisu pots and their legendary pastries.
The new-look La Chouquette features beautiful details like mosaic floors, rich blue walls, wooden shelves, and brass light fixtures.
La Chouquette’s best-selling almond croissantsInside the stunning new La Chouquette in DidbsuryNew savoury bakesThe chausson aux pommesThe counter stuffed with artisan French bakesChocolate chip cookies and cinnamon buns
The huge new counter displays more pastries and breads than ever before, like a hearty chausson aux pommes filled with apples that will be perfect for autumn, plus seasonal treats like a rhubarb creme brulee pastry, and homemade quiche.
Speaking at the grand relaunch today, Catrina said: “The layout has changed, it looks so much more chic, it looks like a traditional French bakery. We’re really excited about it.”
As for what’s on the counter, Flo reassured fans that their beloved almond and pistachio croissants remain, but with some new savoury editions, like a truffle croque monsieur made with croissant dough.
La Choquette has reopened today, and will be open seven days a week from 7am until 5pm.
Daisy Jackson -
13th March 2025 
