The Top 50 Cocktail Bars in the UK have been named this evening – and in a stunning turn of events, Manchester has taken the top spot.
Schofield’s Bar on Little Quay Street has stormed into first place, beating out the biggest names in the drinks industry.
Last year’s winner, Satan’s Whiskers in Bethnal Green in London, fell into second place.
And it was a fantastic result for the rest of the north too, with cocktail bars across Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield shining in the Top 50.
Also featuring in the Top 50 Cocktail Bars list in Manchester is Blinker, a Spring Gardens bar that has a dedicated martini menu, which swooped into the top 10 and placed sixth.
Speak In Code on Jackson’s Row took 12th place (a slight drop from last year’s eighth place but still a phenomenal showing).
And Project Halcyon, the brilliant bar hidden down in the Bonded Warehouse, made it into the 21st spot in the Top 50 Cocktail Bars list.
Manchester’s shiny new LGBTQ+ cocktail bar Red Light, tucked down on pretty Little David Street at Kampus, was named One To Watch.
But back to Schofield’s Bar, officially the best cocktail bar in the entire UK.
Project Halcyon also made the Top 50 Cocktail Bars list. Credit: The Manc GroupInside Schofield’s Bar, just named the best in the UK. Credit: The Manc GroupBlinker in Manchester made the top 10 of the Top 50 Cocktail Bars list. Credit: The Manc Group
The judges said that this drinking spot, created by Bury-born brothers Joe and Daniel Schofield, is ‘impressive’ and noted that it’s the first Manchester bar to ever take the number one spot.
They wrote: “Together, they had a vision to return home to Manchester to open their now impressive venue, which sits on the corner of the iconic Sunlight House, an art deco masterpiece by architect Joseph Sunlight.”
The Top 50 Cocktail Bars list then detailed that the menu ‘consists of classic cocktails as well as crafted in-house stylings created by the Schofield’s, along with beers, wines, Champagne and also some food’.
Many of the drinks inside are inspired by the brothers’ favourite books, and you can borrow a book off the shelf to read with your paired cocktail – like a Vesper Martini with Casino Royale, a Singapore Sling with Cocktail, and a mojito with The Old Man and the Sea.
The Top 50 Cocktail Bars in the UK in full
Schofield’s Bar – Manchester
Satan’s Whiskers – Bethnal Green
Passing Fancies – Digbeth, Birmingham
Couch – Stirchley, West Midlands
Hey Palu – Edinburgh, Midlothian
Blinker – Manchester
Swift Soho – London
Amaro Bar – Kensington, London
Panda and Sons – Edinburgh
Tayēr + Elementary – Shoreditch, London
Kwãnt – Mayfair, London
Speak in Code – Manchester
Three Sheets – Dalston, London
🔶🟥🔵 – Hackney, London
Murder Inc – Soho, London
Tabula Rasa – Leeds
Lab 22 – Cardiff
Filthy XIII – Bristol
Crossroads – Newington Green
The Connaught Bar – Mayfair, London
Project Halcyon – Manchester
SOMA – Soho, London
Eve Bar – Covent Garden
Side Hustle – Covent Garden
The Hideout – Bath
Little Mercies – Crouch End, London
Below Stairs – Leeds
Silverleaf – Spitalfields, London
Bar Termini – Soho, London
Seed Library – Shoreditch, London
Charlie Brown’s – Glasgow
Bramble Bar & Lounge – Edinburgh
Scarfes Bar – Holborn, London
Happiness Forgets – Hoxton, London
The Absent Ear – Glasgow
69 Colebrooke Row – Islington, London
Artesian – Fitzrovia, London
Callooh Callay – Shoreditch, London
Fox and Chance – Birmingham
The Milk Thistle – Bristol
Nauticus – Edinburgh
Public – Sheffield
The Gate – Glasgow
Nightjar – Shoreditch, London
Ojo Rojo – Bournemouth
The Wildcat – Edinburgh
Lyaness – South Bank, London
Pennyroyal – Cardiff
Bench – Sheffield
The American Bar – Auchterarder
Featured image: The Manc Group
Eats
Bundobust and Madre announce bold new Indo-Mexican collaboration
Clementine Hall
Two of Manchester’s best-loved casual dining spots are joining forces for a limited-edition collaboration.
Bundobust and Madre will be teaming up this summer to create a menu inspired by two world-famous street food cultures – India, and Mexico.
The Indo-Mexican menu will feature dishes like ‘Naanchos’, and plenty of other Desi-flavoured Mexican dishes.
It’ll be mashing up iconic ingredients, techniques, and flavours, with a menu of brand new spice-packed dishes and cocktails combining Desi and Mexican influence.
So, what can we expect?
Mexican street food classics chimichanga and quesadillas get the Desi treatment, while Bundobust’s Indian street food favourites like chaat get a little Latino heat.
All paired with spicy summer-time cocktails, as a homage to Mexican drinking culture, plus the return of Bundobust Brewery’s new golden Cerveza, SANJA Mexican Lager.
We can’t think of a better place to spend our summer evenings to be quite honest.
On the menu there are crunchy Indo-Mexican ‘naanchos’, topped with salsa verde, crema, tamarind, onion, coriander, and a punchy pickle masala.
Madre and Bundobust are teaming upNaanchos, from the Bundobust x Madre menu
There’ll also be a ‘Tikkadilla’ – a corn tortilla packed with oyster mushrooms, red tikka sauce and Oaxaca cheese, with a side of desi birria sauce for dipping.
That’s alongside masala chimichanga, birria-ani, and corn chaat.
Then you can wash that down with a cashew colada, an avocado lassi, spicy mango margs and loads more.
The Indo-Mexican menu will be available at all Bundobust and Madre locations from Monday 14 July until Sunday 17 August 2025.
Northern Quarter cafe to give out 100 FREE slices of cake to celebrate its birthday
Emily Sergeant
A little Northern Quarter cafe is celebrating a big milestone this week, and is giving out 100 free slices of cake for the occasion.
Nibble is turning eight this week, and nothing makes a birthday better than cake.
The female-run independent cafe on Oldham Street in the heart of the Northern Quarter first opened its doors to hungry Mancs back in July 2017, after owner and manager Lauren had dreams to take her business of selling brownies at local artisan markets and turn them into a cosy cafe of her own that catered to people with all sorts of dietary requirements.
The cafe has since been acknowledged by tastemakers as one of the most accessible places in Manchester.
Not only is Nibble known and loved for serving up some of the best homemade bakes in the city, with something for everyone to tuck choose from, but they also provide a tasty selection of all-day brunch dishes, salads, and sandwiches, as well as corporate catering too.
So of course, to celebrate eight years of the lovely Nibble team feeding the good people of Manchester, the business is giving away free slices of birthday cake on Friday.
Nibble NQ is giving away 100 free slices of birthday cake / Credit: The Manc Group
After doing something similar to celebrate their birthday last year, this time around they’re taking things once step further, as it’s not just 100 free slices of scrumptious cake you can get your hands on, there’s plenty other prizes too.
Nibble will be ‘levelling up’ and throwing in some ‘hidden surprises’ in the form of vouchers, giving people an opportunity to win a free brunch, brownie box, or coffee and cake.
To be in with a chance of taking away one of the 100 free slices of birthday cake, all you’ll need to do is head to Nibble on Oldham Street this Friday (11 July) and line up outside the cafe from 9:30am, then you may just be lucky enough to start of your day in the sweetest way possible.