Two of Manchester’s most popular drinks brands have released limited edition festive gins just in time for Christmas.
With the festive season fast approaching, both Manchester Drinks and Manchester Gin – two of the city’s most well-loved and industry-leading drinks companies – have delighted gin lovers by launching a collection of limited edition flavoured gins ready to toast a tipple or two, and round out what has been a turbulent year.
Among the festive offerings this year are a ‘Candy Cane’ flavoured gin and ‘Winter Spiced Gin’.
How brilliant do they sound?
First up, Manchester Drinks – established in 2005 and is a leader in the ready-to-drink market, providing a wide range of award-winning own-label and branded cocktails – has introduced new shimmery Candy Cane Gin Liqueur for the festive season.
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The gin liqueur perfectly blends subtle minty notes with sweet vanilla to create a beautifully fresh, yet nostalgic Candy Cane flavour for the ultimate festive sweetshop taste, and is best enjoyed neat, or by simply adding soda, ice, a sprig of fresh mint and a wedge of lime for a refreshing taste of Christmas, making it perfect for those cosy nights in.
The traditional flavoured gin also has a festive modern twist as it shimmers when shaken.
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If you’re after something a little different, Manchester Drinks Company’s hugely popular Snow Fairy Gin Liqueur – a shimmery tipple infused with all the flavours of the holiday season, including cinnamon, spice and orange – is also back by popular demand this year.
Manchester Drinks Co
The two limited-edition gins are now available exclusively in Home Bargains stores nationwide for £8 per 500ml bottle (20% ABV).
Speaking on the launch of the festive tipples, Richard Benjamin – Director at Manchester Drinks – said: “Christmas is fast approaching and what better way to get in the mood than with festive gin. We know that our fans love our nostalgic flavours so we wanted to create something we knew they’d love with added festive sparkle.
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“This fresh and festive gin is perfect to enjoy on cosy nights in or with friends and family over the Christmas period.”
Also, for the first time ever, The Spirit of Manchester Distillery – which is home to Manchester Gin – has released a limited edition festive-inspired Winter Spiced Gin and it has been created with the classic flavours of Yuletide in mind to “transport your taste buds to the festive season with every sip”.
It has a beautiful blend of orange and cinnamon – which gives each sip that citrus kick that every gin fanatic loves, followed by a sensationally warm, spicy taste that’s fitting for a Christmas tipple – and complementing these dominant flavours are notes of clove and nutmeg, creating a tipple packed with nostalgic Yuletide spices.
Manchester Gin
Manchester Gin’s incredible winter warmer can be served hot with an aromatic tonic syrup for a sweet citrus, yet spicy sip and completed with a twist of flamed orange peel and a cinnamon stick for the ultimate festive kick. Or alternatively, it is just as delicious served cold by simply pouring slowly over a few ice cubes, adding your choice of aromatic tonic, and finally garnishing to enjoy.
Seb Heeley – Co-Founder and Master Distiller at Manchester Gin – said: “After a hard year for many, we want to celebrate the festive season more than ever before, and what better way to put a smile on people’s faces than with a delicious yet distinctively Christmassy gin?
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“We had such fun sampling the festive flavours until we found the perfect expression, which is both high quality and mouth-wateringly delicious.
“Winter Spiced Gin has the perfect balance of spice and citrus to provide that festive flavour whilst creating a drink which everyone will enjoy.
“It’s also really exciting to be launching our first gin with a recommended hot serve, further adding to the warm feeling this unique blend of botanicals creates [so] we hope that gin-lovers across the country enjoy drinking Winter Spiced just as much as we enjoyed creating it.”
The Winter Spiced Gin is launching this November priced at £35 for a 500ml bottle (40% ABV), and you can pre-order it via the Manchester Gin website here.
Eats
Former Lunya site to be taken over by kebab house, five years after closure
Daisy Jackson
The restaurant space that was previously home to Lunya will finally be brought back to life, with a new kebab restaurant moving in.
Lunya, which had a two-storey restaurant and deli on Deansgate in the beautiful Barton Arcade, shut down in 2020.
It was one of the earliest and most high-profile closures caused by the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, with owner Peter Kinsella penning at the time a heartbreaking open letter to then-PM Boris Johnson.
The Lunya site has remained empty for the last five years despite its enviable location in the heart of Manchester – but finally, new signs have gone up and a new operator is swooping in.
The windows now tease the arrival of Great British Doner, touting itself to be ‘the ultimate doner experience’.
The new opening will be selling wraps and boxes stuffed with beef, chicken, halloumi and falafel.
In a statement supplied to Place North West, Andrew Hynes, director at Hynes Illingworth said: “Barton Arcade will be the first UK opening for British Doner with two additional locations also secured in Manchester city centre.
Great British Doner is moving into the old Lunya site on Deansgate
“The business has been established by experienced restaurateur, Mehmet Korkut, previous owner of Café Istanbul and UK franchise owner of heritage brand Sultanahmet Koftecisi.”
There’ve been a lot of changes down this end of Deansgate in the last couple of years, including the openings of Simmons, with the city’s ‘biggest happy hour’, and Mama Roux’s, as well as the departures of Classic Football Shirts within the Barton Arcade.
When it opens, Great British Doner will join the likes of award-winning coffee shop Pot Kettle Black, and independent menswear retailer The R Store in the landmark building.
The viral factory in Oldham that sells £2 Colin the Caterpillar cakes
Thomas Melia
A factory in Oldham has gone viral online after sweet fiends discover they sell ‘Colin the Caterpillar’ cakes for less than half price.
There are some things that just go hand in hand: a brew and a biscuit, peanut butter and jelly and Brits and their crazy obsession with a character chocolate cake from M&S called Colin the Caterpillar.
Since hitting the shelves in 1990, more than 15 million Colin the Caterpillars have made their way from supermarket shop floor to our sweet-treat-awaiting plates.
Who would’ve ever guessed that the home to this cheeky chappy, who M&S have made their unofficial mascot (after Percy Pig, of course), has been crafted and created right here in Oldham?
The utterly delicious Colin the Caterpillar cake which you can get for £2 at Park Cakes.The shelves at Park Cakes are stacked with Colins and Connies.Credit: The Manc Eats
Established in 1937, The Park Cake Bakeries – or just Park Cakes, colloquially – has been serving up this critter-inspired cake for over 30 years, and savvy shoppers have flocked to their factory shop to get their hands on some very sweet savings.
There’s a whole range of cakes on offer at this Oldham dessert factory shop, including slabs, sponges, loaves and even sweet pies too.
Whether you’re a firm believer that the birthday person deserves all of Colin’s white-choc face or you precisely cut it up so everyone gets some, Park Cakes has the solution, selling bags of the character’s chocolatey face so you can have one all to yourself.
The cake isn’t the only thing that leaves a sweet taste in your mouth, as the prices will too. Colin the Caterpillar, who normally retails for just under a tenner, is sold for around £2 at this Oldham factory shop.
It’s always the ones that look unassuming, isn’t it?
Alongside producing one of the most adored cakes in the UK, they’re also responsible for lots more of your favourite supermarket sweet treats, and we’re definitely not complaining.
You can let your sweet tooth go wild in this factory shop as they sell everything from rainbow birthday cakes to sticky toffee puddings.
There’s so much on offer too, how about a giant bag packed to the brim with misshapen golden flapjacks that’ll last you over a week and cost you less than a fiver? Sounds like a plan to me.
If you haven’t had enough of your Easter chocolate fix, why not trek over to Oldham and stock up on even more chocolate and sweet treats? Trust us, there’s plenty to choose from.
Park Cakes factory shop can be found on Ashton Road in Oldham and is open from 10am-4pm, so go and grab yourself a seriously sweet deal before everyone else beats you to it.
Mini Colins, small in size but still packed with all that chocolatey goodness.Flapjacks and cookie dough bites are just some of the wonderful treats you might be able to get hold of.Credit: The Manc
Emily Sergeant -
13th November 2020 
