Five Manchester bars have just been named in the UK’s Top 50 Cocktail Bars

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Inside Stray, a new Manchester cocktail bar at Mackie Mayor in the Northern Quarter

Cocktails at Stray

Five bars in Manchester have just received one of the industry’s highest accolades – a place in the UK’s Top 50 Cocktail Bars.

In a glittering ceremony down in London today, the best in the cocktail industry were crowned, and our city has a lot to be proud of.

Manchester now has five cocktail bars in the Top 50, with two new entries this year.

And while Schofield’s has been toppled from the top spot this year, this award-winning bar on Quay Street is still heading home with a podium finish, now ranked the third-best bar in the entire UK.

One of the new faces on the prestigious list is Stray, a beautiful cocktail bar tucked into a corner of Mackie Mayor.

Famed for its tomato vine margaritas, as well as the pain-staking effort the team goes to to infuse their own spirits and make their own cordials, Stray has deservedly debuted at number 25. And we have a feeling they’re just getting started.

Red Light is another new name on the list, after taking home the coveted ‘One To Watch’ award in 2024.

Red Light
Stray
Blinker

The gorgeous LGBTQ+ cocktail bar on Little David Street at Kampus has placed 40th.

Blinker has held on to a place in the Top 50 Cocktail Bars list, dropping down to 22nd – still a phenomenal achievement for the Spring Gardens boozer.

Blinker has a dedicated martini menu, and also serves them alongside retro Breville toasties.

And finally, last but not least, Speak In Code on Jackson’s Row jumped up into 11th place.

This fantastic brick-lined bar opened properly (it was a pop-up before) just five years ago and it’s consistently topped national lists of the best bars ever since.

There were also amazing results for our sister cities in Sheffield and Leeds, with The Pearl at Parkhill at 44 and Public at 39 for the former, and Tabula Rasa at 27 and Below Stairs at 11 for the latter.

A huge congratulations to all these very worthy winners.

Top 50 Cocktail Bars 2025 – the full list

  1. Satan’s Whiskers, Bethnal Green, London
  2. Panda and Sons, Edinburgh, Midlothian
  3. SCHOFIELD’S BAR, Manchester, Greater Manchester
  4. Couch, Stirchley, West Midlands
  5. Tayēr + Elementary, Shoreditch, London
  6. Swift Soho, Soho, London
  7. Passing Fancies, Digbeth, Birmingham
  8. Dram, Soho, London
  9. The Hideout, Bath, Somerset
  10. Lyaness, South Bank, London
  11. Speak in Code, Manchester, Greater Manchester
  12. Nauticus, Edinburgh, Midlothian
  13. Three Sheets, Dalston, London
  14. AMARO BAR, Kensington, London
  15. Below Stairs, Leeds, West Yorkshire
  16. Hey Palu, Edinburgh, Midlothian
  17. Viajante87, Notting Hill, London
  18. Daddy Marmalades, Glasgow
  19. Silverleaf, Spitalfields, London
  20. The Connaught Bar, Mayfair, London
  21. Bar Termini, Soho, London
  22. BLINKER, Manchester, Greater Manchester
  23. Filthy XIII, Bristol, Somerset
  24. Murder Inc, Soho, London
  25. Stray, Manchester
  26. Lab 22, Cardiff, Glamorgan
  27. Tabula Rasa, Leeds, West Yorkshire
  28. SOMA, Soho, London
  29. Little Mercies, Crouch End, London
  30. Nipperkin at NIJŪ, Mayfair, London
  31. Kwãnt, Mayfair, London
  32. Scarfes Bar, Holborn, London
  33. The Absent Ear, Glasgow, Lanarkshire
  34. Side Hustle, Covent Garden, London
  35. 🔶🟥🔵, Hackney, London
  36. Bramble Bar & Lounge, Edinburgh, Midlothian
  37. The American Bar, Auchterarder, Kinross-shire
  38. Bar Glue, Liverpool
  39. Public, Sheffield, Yorkshire
  40. Red Light, Manchester
  41. TWICE SHY, Kensington, London
  42. Mother Mercy, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
  43. The Gate, Glasgow, Lanarkshire
  44. The Pearl at Park Hill, Sheffield
  45. Sister Ray, Liverpool
  46. Archive & Myth, London
  47. Happiness Forgets, Hoxton, London
  48. Callooh Callay, Shoreditch, London
  49. Kiki Lounge, Douglas, Isle of Man
  50. 69 Colebrooke Row, Islington, London

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Featured image: The Manc Group