A city centre Manchester bar lauded for its huge gin collection has launched a new bottomless brunch deal, and it sounds too good to pass up.
Atlas Bar, located at the Castlefield end of Deansgate, is well known for its humungous gin collection – spanning over 570 bottles at the most recent count.
Growing every week, the bar has to host an up-to-date version of its gin menu online as the printing costs would be astronomical. That’s how big the choice is here.
A Manchester mainstay for over twenty years, the bar is something of a mecca for gin lovers and was once, famously, a favourite haunt of Tony Wilson.
But now, Mancs have another reason to pay them a visit. Especially those who love themselves a boozy brunch.
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Image: Atlas Bar
Priced at £35 per person, the new bottomless offer Priced at £35 per person, the new bottomless offer includes 90 minutes of free-flowing drinks and is available from Friday to Sunday.
Gin, of course, is a given, with unlimited gin and tonics available as part of the offer.
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Atlas gin and tonics are made from the bar’s own premium London Dry gin, created in partnership with Oldham-based distillery Defiance Spirits, then served with a slice of grapefruit and Fever Tree’s Mediterranean tonic.
There’s also a gin-based bramble cocktail available, made with lemon juice, gin and blackberry liqueur and served over crushed ice.
Elsewhere, further drinks choices include popular cocktails like Aperol spritz, bloody marys, mimosas and bellinis. glasses of red and white wine, prosecco, vodka and tonic, and pints of Amstel, Heineken 0.0%, and Inch’s cider.
Simply put, there are a lot of drinks to choose from – and that’s before you even get started on the food.
As well as enjoying 90 minutes of endless drinks, diners are also treated to a dish of their choice from the Atlas breakfast or lunch menu.
Options range from full English breakfasts and brunch favourites like Eggs Royale and Eggs Benedict to all-day treats such as smashed quarter-pound beef burgers, buttermilk fried chicken sandwiches, salt beef bagels and a three-cheese toasted sourdough.
Further dishes, including side plates, are also available to order separately for an extra cost.
In order to get the deal, tables must be booked in advance. To find out more and reserve your seat, visit the Atlas Bar website here.
Feature image – Atlas Bar
News
Work finally begins on site of UK’s first majority LGBTQ+ housing scheme in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Work has finally got underway on the start of the UK’s first majority LGBTQ+ housing scheme here in Manchester.
The exciting new £37 million flagship development – which is being built on the site of the former Spire Hospital on Russell Road, in the Whalley Range area of Manchester – will be comprised of 80 one and two-bedroom apartments for older people over the age of 55 for social rent, alongside an additional 40 affordable shared ownership apartments.
Plans for the scheme have been co-produced in partnership with the Russell Road Community Steering Group, Manchester City Council, and the LGBT Foundation.
Delivered in partnership with contractors Rowlinson, and funded through Great Places, the Homes England Strategic Partnership, GMCA Brownfield Housing Fund, and Manchester City Council, the high-quality and sustainable building will offer a ‘safe and welcome feel’ with an ‘inviting presence’.
While the goal is to create an inclusive space, the scheme has also been designed to respect the surrounding conservation area.
On top of this, the low carbon scheme will also feature shared communal facilities including lounges, treatment rooms, and landscaped gardens.
The Council says the new scheme is part of its ambitious target to deliver at least 36,000 new homes across the city region by 2032 – at least 10,000, of which, will be social rent, Council, or considered ‘genuinely affordable’ housing.
It comes after more than 800 ‘Extra Care’ homes have been built in Manchester in recent years, and are another 1,000 are in the pipeline – to meet the demand for older people in the city.
A CGI of the newly-approved LGBTQ+ Extra Care housing scheme development in Whalley Range / Credit: Manchester City Council
“This is a real milestone moment for this development,” commented Cllr Gavin White, who is the Executive Member for Housing and Development at Manchester City Council.
“The Council has believed in the positive impact an LGBTQ+ majority housing development could have for this community for many years, and to celebrate the social rent homes officially starting on site is a great moment for the city.
“Working with the LGBT Foundation, we know that older LGBTQ+ people worry about being able to access appropriate and inclusive housing later in life. Although we hope all older person’s accommodation is welcoming to everyone, this scheme will provide safe, secure and affordable housing for LGBTQ+ people to live with dignity.
“We look forward to the completion of these homes that will complement and enhance this part of Whalley Range, and be an important part of this community.”
The project is scheduled to be completed in Summer 2027.
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
News
Parklife shares statement after festival’s brand-new stage closed down before headliners
Daisy Jackson
Parklife has released a full statement after the festival was forced to close its newest stage, and cancel two headline performances.
The huge Heaton Park festival had been running smoothly all weekend, with blistering performances from 50 Cent, Pawsa, Jorja Smith and plenty more.
But on Sunday, local lad and rising star DJ Josh Baker took to the brand-new Matinee stage to enormous crowds.
Although Parklife installed a queue system to manage numbers inside the enclosed festival stage, the crowds outside became very large, very quickly, and the decision was made to shut the stage down for everyone’s safety.
Several people have shared videos on TikTok, like the one below, that show the scenes around the Matinee stage and audiences being told the area would need to be evacuated.
The stage was shut down for the remainder of the evening, meaning a headline performance from Chris Stussy was also cancelled.
Parklife has said this decision was taken to ‘remove the risk of any potential incidents’ and to prioritise the safety of festival attendees.
Josh Baker told fans: “I deeply apologise. I can’t really put into words what today was going to mean to me.”
Chris Stussy said in a statement on his Instagram: “Really gutted I’m unable to perform at Parklife tonight, flew straight from Barcelona to play a 3 hours closing set but due to safety reasons and the stage being over crowded, the organisation decided to shut the stage down as it may have caused unsafe situations for those who were there.
“Despite being disappointed, safety comes first and we will make this right very soon.”
Parklife hasn’t publicly addressed the incident but has shared this statement: “As a result of crowd movement at the Matinee Stage and on the advice of our safety team to remove the risk of any potential incidents, Parklife made the decision to close the stage for the remainder of the final day of the festival.
“Unfortunately it has been impossible to relocate Josh Baker’s and Chris Stussy’s performances to a new stage.
“Our teams worked quickly and diligently to address the situation and the safety of our festival attendees is always our utmost priority.”
Georgina Pellant -
13th May 2022 
