A Christmas cocktail trail is coming to Manchester, bringing together some of the city centre’s best independent bars for the ultimate festive booze-up.
Even better, it’s all for a good cause – with a percentage of the sales from each drink going to help local charity The Mustard Tree, which works to help Manchester residents living in poverty.
Put together by spirits brand The Public Spirit in partnership with some of Manchester’s top cocktail bars, the city-wide festive drinks trail will take you from Ancoats to the Northern Quarter, down Peter street, then onto Albert Square before finishing on Deansgate.
Bars taking part in ‘The 12 Serves of Christmas’ include The Jayne Eyre, NAM, Cocoa Cabana, Elnecot, Mecanica, Reserve at Mackie Mayor, La Collina, Feel Good Club, Haunt, Motley, Jimmy’s, and Speak in Code.
Each will work with either the Golden Aged rum or the salted toffee-flavoured Original Spiced rum to create winter favourites like rum hot chocolate, mulled wine, espresso martinis and more throughout December.
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A map showing the location of each bar on the Christmas cocktail trail / Image: The Public Spirit
The award-winning Ancoats rum company is already known for giving away a quarter of its profits to local causes including food banks, community projects and mental health charities.
Founded in lockdown by Manchester couple Olly Walker and Naomi Flaherty, the brand has community spirit at its core – as the name suggests.
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Now it’s doubling down for Christmas, having teamed up with twelve different bars for the Christmas cocktail trail – ensuring that each drink sold will provide a meal for someone in need in the city.
Co-Founder Naomi Flaherty said: “It’s the time for giving and good spirit, so what better than enjoying incredible drinks and helping others while doing it.”
“Over the festive period The Public Spirit has committed to donating at least 2,500 meals for people in the city with every bottle they sell giving four meals.”
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Co-Founder Olly Walker continued: “It’s so exciting to work with these fantastic venues and hopefully it can help us to smash our target. We can’t wait to try them all!”
Every drink sold on the Christma cocktail trail throughout December will give money to local homelessness and poverty prevention charity The Mustard Tree, which has three hubs across Manchester and Salford.
Food & Drink
A tiny new train station pub has opened at Manchester Oxford Road
Daisy Jackson
A tiny craft beer pub has opened at Manchester Oxford Road, making all those inevitable train cancellations a little sweeter.
The new boozer comes from the same team behind some of the UK’s best train station pubs, who already have bars at Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria.
The Oxford Road Tap has plenty of charming nods to its proximity to the great British rail network.
There’s the big red National Rail sign that they’ve restored and turned into a beer tap, an arch over the bar that mimics the shape of the station, and even a departures board so you can work out how many more pints you can squeeze in.
You’ll find plenty of British craft beers behind the bar as well as a great selection of European lagers, plus spirits and wines.
The bar from Bloomsbury Leisure Holdings Limited has taken over the former cycle hub at Manchester Oxford Road.
The small building is directly opposite the entrance to the busy train station on the southern side of the city centre.
The Oxford Road Tap pub is now open in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
This will be the third site for the pub group in Manchester.
They already operate the Piccadilly Tap, that two-storey beer bar on Piccadilly Approach with a heated rooftop space and outdoor patio.
The team are also responsible for the more recently-opened Victoria Tap, which took over the former bin store at Manchester Victoria.
That particular pub has a heated beer garden constructed just inches away from where the trams tootle past and has a departures board where time is measured by pints (got 10 mins til your train leaves? That’s one pint, sir!)
Oslo-born Doug’s Hamburgers is opening in Manchester, serving adult ‘Happier Meals’
Daisy Jackson
Critically acclaimed burger joint Doug’s is heading to Manchester for the first time, serving up grown-up ‘Happier Meals’.
The burger brand started life in Norway but is led by a very northern team – they’re also behind Madre, Medlock Canteen and London’s Breddos tacos.
Doug’s is an Oklahoma-style burger restaurant with a menu of classic burgers made with hand-pressed patties from premium dry-aged beef (it’s the thinly-sliced onions inside each patty that makes it Oklahama style).
A classic cheeseburger is the brand’s signature dish, featuring a smashed patty, onions, cheese, mustard, ketchup, pickles and Doug’s special sauce.
There’ll also be fried chicken sandwiches, hot tenders and fries, plus breakfast buns served all day.
The ‘Happier Meal’ is an adult twist on a fast food favourite – you get a burger, fries, and a martini.
You can get deep-fried pickles with your burger at Doug’s in Manchester.Doug’s Hamburgers is coming to ManchesterCredit: The Manc Group
Doug’s spot in Manchester will be its fourth restaurant.
It’s set to open on Oxford Road above the recently-announced Amber’s nightclub, open seven days a week from 11am until midnight.
The flagship restaurant on Oxford Road is designed by R2A studio and will be opening this December in Circle Square for eat in and take-out.
Doug’s is opening on Friday 20 December and will be handing out free burgers – just head down from 12pm to claim one.
Georgina Pellant -
29th November 2021 
