You can get mulled wine Christmas cocktail trees at this Manchester winter village
Whilst we're no stranger to a cocktail tree, these ones at Mala's winter village are extra special - served with real, living firs for that extra festive touch
There’s a winter village in Manchester selling mulled wine Christmas cocktail trees and we are just a little bit obsessed.
Hidden away off the beaten track in the Northern Quarter, if you look for a big green door you should stumble across Mala’s magical alpine village.
The secret garden on Lever Street has been transformed into a winter wonderland for the festive season, complete with ski cabins, heated Alpine chalets and a giant barn – plus not one but two charming outdoor garden spaces.
Image: The Manc Group
Now, as we roll into December, the team has upped its bar offering – which already includes steins, hot chocolates and a range of cocktails including margaritas – to offer these amazing mulled wine Christmas cocktail trees throughout the season.
Priced at £6.50 per glass or £24 for a tree of four, they come out on real evergreen firs jazzed up with baubles and pine cones. It doesn’t really get more Christmassy than that.
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And that’s not all. As well as the brilliant mulled wine Christmas cocktail trees, Mala is also serving up a Berry 75 cocktail tree – priced at £29, or £8 for a single glass.
The Berry 75 cocktail tree at Mala – priced at £29, or £8 for a single glass / Image: Mala / Memphis Medium
The Berry 75 is a twist on the classic French 75 cocktail, a combination of gin, lemon juice, sugar and fizz – but this one has added raspberry to give it that red, Christmassy hue.
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Food-wise, there are plans to offer a cheese fondue at some point next month, but right now you can still get your hands on some top-notch local scran as Mala has partnered with a host of local eateries.
By scanning a QR code on your table (or in your heated chalet), you’ll be able to access the menus of surrounding eateries like Ply, Chakalaka, House of Habesha, Salt and Pepper and more – with each venue bringing its food in for you directly.
On-site, you’ll also find Crumbled – serving up pots of indulgent crumbles from their hatch next to the bar. With toppings like biscoff, chocolate sauce, rose custard and more, it’s a proper indulgent sweet treat.
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There’s no need to book either, rather you can simply walk in – and the mulled wine Christmas cocktail trees will be served throughout December.
Mala’s opening hours are from 12.30 to 9 pm every day.
Enormous Manchester venue set to open (again) after brief rebrand
Daisy Jackson
A huge, glamorous restaurant and bar space looks set to reopen just months after it closed down and attempted to rebrand.
SakkuSamba announced back in June that it was closing for a short while to undergo a refurbishment.
That news came after two years hosting all-you-can-eat sushi dinners and star-studded parties in Spinningfields, like an afterparty with Ne-Yo following his show at the AO Arena.
They wrote at the time: “Exciting News! We will be closing our doors on June 2nd for an exciting refurbishment and upgrade. We’re sorry to be closing for a little while, but stay tuned for updates over the next couple of weeks as we begin this transition!
“We can’t wait to show you what’s coming next soon!”
But then SakkuSamba never reopened and the space instead became Raft, essentially Manchester’s most boujie buffet.
Raft had a huge dining room upstairs, a hidden club room, a ‘toilet disco’, 360-degree DJ booths, and a ‘coastal boozer’ on the ground floor.
The restaurant when it was previously SakkuSamba. Credit: The Manc GroupVs when it was Raft. Credit: The Manc Group
Raft was only open for three months when it was suddenly bolted shut, with a forteiture notice in the window that was apparently linked to a ‘historic dispute’.
And now, in an unexpected twist in events, SakkuSamba has shared that it’s coming back to Manchester.
Keeping up okay? Let’s continue.
In the first post since announcing the temporary closure and refurbishment of both of its restaurants (in Manchester and in Bradford), SakkuSamba wrote: “SakkuSamba 2025. Manchester keep your eyes peeled, major announcement coming soon.”
If it follows the same format it took previously, that means a fusion of Brazilian and Japanese cuisine together in a swanky all-you-can-eat setting.
And hopefully it’ll last longer than poor Raft did…
Northern Quarter craft beer bar Fierce Bar announces sudden closure
Thomas Melia
A much loved independent craft beer bar in the heart of the Northern Quarter is set to close before the end of the year.
Fierce Bar, which opened in Manchester city centre in 2020, has been a firm favourite for Mancs and visitors alike with their range of beers and IPAs.
The Fierce Beer company has established itself as a leading force within the beer community winning ‘Scottish Brewery of the Year in 2021’ and numerous Scottish Beer Awards.
Their wide range of drink flavours pay homage to varieties from the USA and offered people who frequented their Thomas Street site in the Northern Quarter were treated to a refreshing taste of the transatlantic.
The Thomas Street bar had previously been home to 57 Thomas Street, a bar operated by Marble Brewery, which also operates The Marble Arch.
In a post on social media which opens with, “Some sad news…”, the company have stated: “We face continually spiralling costs that unfortunately mean it’s going to be unsustainable to continue operating the venue viably going forward”.
There’s still some hope as beer brand have also announced: “This is not the end for Fierce Beer south of the border though; we’re continuing to keep an eye on the market and aim to get back as soon as we can with a new physical location.”
Anyone wanting to continue the bar’s legacy in Manchester can sport the indie establishment’s range of t-shirts, hats and funky glasses, some of which adorned the walls.
Being a Scottish born and bred brewery, if you’re still after your alcohol fix, you can still visit their two other locations in Edinburgh and Aberdeen next time you’re heading up north.
The last day of trade for Fierce Bar will be 20 December where the founders Dave and Louise will be heading to the Manchester site say a sad goodbye.
As it will be the final night of service ever, the team are urging anyone to pop down for a pint or two to commemorate the Manchester home.
It’s a shame to see such a well-used city centre social space shutting its doors, however Fierce Beer loyalists fear not as their online website is still very much alive and thriving here.
Georgina Pellant -
25th November 2021 
