The UK’s best cocktail bars have been revealed, and two of them are right here in Manchester.
We already knew that we had some great cocktail bars, but now it’s been made official – with two Manchester watering holes appearing on this year’s Top 50 Cocktail Bars list.
Hidden vegan cocktail bar Speak In Code and Schofield’s Bar, which took over historic Manchester boozer The Old Grapes last year, both made it into the top 20 – coming in at numbers 10 and 16 respectively.
Manchester Gin’s Three Little Words also got a special mention, taking home the 2022 Bar Team of the Year award
Image: Speak In Code
It’s a coup for both operators as well as Manchester’s drinks scene as a whole, which didn’t make the list at all last year (a bit of an oversight if you ask us).
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In total, ten of the Top 50 Cocktail Bars this year are found in the north of England.
Over in Leeds, four bars made the list with Jake’s Bar & Still Room, Roland’s, Below Stairs and Hedonist all getting a well-dseerved mention.
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Further afield, Liverpool’s Present Company, Sheffield’s Public and Newcastle’s Mother Mercy are also featured, with four more – Bramble Bar & Lounge, Panda and Sons, The Absent Ear and Hay Palu – getting a shout out up in Scotland.
Image: Schofield’s Bar
Acknowledging the growing number of northern bars featured in this year’s list, Top 50 Cocktail Bars publisher Christopher Lowe said: “London has always been seen as a global leader for cocktails but as you’ll see from the 2022 list, other major cities across the UK are now catching up.
“Our newly launched website will help cocktail connoisseurs discover the best of the UK bar scene with many of these very much still under the radar.”
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Image: Schofield’s Bar
Further proving the move away from a London-centric focus on the cocktail scene, taking the. number one spot this year is Cardiff’s Lab 22.
Tucked away above a well-known bakery, the experimental Lab 22 has jumped up 32 places in two years with its daring drinks menu from award-winning head bartender Max Hayward.
That said, London still dominates half of the list. Number two in this year’s Top 50 is Swift Soho, a much-loved regular on the list and in third place isThe Connaught Bar, also voted as the 2021 ‘best bar in the world’ in The World’s 50 Best Bars.
Image: Speak In Code
East London bar Tayēr + Elementary meanwhile is this year’s highest new entry, coming in at number 4.
This year’s winners were announced during the list reveal at One Night Records, in London, hosted by Aidy Smith.
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The Top 50 Cocktail Bars 2022 list is as follows:
Lab 22, Cardiff
Swift Soho, London
The Connaught Bar, London
Tayēr + Elementary, London
Satan’s Whiskers, London
Bramble Bar & Lounge, Edinburgh
Three Sheets, London
Oriole, London
Panda and Sons, Edinburgh
Speak in Code, Manchester
Yellow Triangle, Red Square, Blue Circle, London
Disrepute, London
Nightjar, London
Homeboy Bar, London
American Bar, London
SCHOFIELD’S BAR, Manchester
Opium Cocktails & Dim Sum Parlour, London
Coupette, London
Artesian, London
Scarfes Bar, London
Trailer Happiness, London
Lucky Liquor co., Edinburgh
Happiness Forgets, London
Jake’s Bar & Still Room, Leeds
Little Mercies, London
The Absent Ear, Glasgow
The Milk Thistle, Bristol
Berry & Rye, Liverpool
Laki Kane, London
Filthy XIII, Bristol
Lyaness, London
Roland’s Leeds, Leeds
Gungho!, Brighton
Hacha, London
The Hideout, Bath
Pennyroyal, Cardiff
Couch, Birmingham
Bar Termini, London
Below Stairs, Leeds
Hay Palu, Edinburgh
Public, Sheffield
Hedonist, Leeds
Present Company, Liverpool
The Pineapple Club, Birmingham
Publiq., London
Ojo Rojo, Bournemouth
L’ Atelier du Vin, Brighton
Callooh Callay, London
Mother Mercy, Newcastle upon Tyne
The Cocktail Trading Co, London
Feature image – Schofield’s Bar
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Seven in 10 NHS workers think the health service is ‘poorly prepared’ for another pandemic
Emily Sergeant
A new survey has revealed that seven in 10 NHS workers believe the health service is ‘poorly prepared’ for another pandemic if one should arise.
After the recent meningitis B outbreak in Kent last month raised the conversation of mass contagion once again, of course following the COVID-19 pandemic, a new YouGov survey of more than 1,000 NHS workers has now uncovered how well prepared staff in the health service think it is for another global pandemic.
The results show that 69% of staff surveyed think the health service is ‘poorly prepared’ for another pandemic, and to make matters worse, 26% of those even say it’s ‘very poorly’ prepared.
Only one in five (22%) think the NHS is could properly handle another pandemic, but statistically, YouGov claims none of those surveyed said it’s ‘very well’ prepared.
Seven in 10 NHS workers think the health service is ‘poorly prepared’ for another pandemic / Credit: Pxhere | Rawpixel
When workers were asked how the NHS’s level of preparedness now compares to prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 41% did concede that they think it is better prepared now than 2020, however 37% admitted they think it’s no better prepared.
16% actively think it’s less well-prepared now than it was prior to 2020.
This marked a new era of ‘transparency’ and ‘accountability’ in the NHS, with the league tables delivering on the Government’s promise to drive up standards, tackle variation in care, and ensure people get the high-quality service they rightly expect.
Every trust in England – from urgent and emergency care, through to elective operations and mental health services – will now be ranked quarterly against ‘clear and consistent’ standards.
Featured Image – Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
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Seven people arrested in Salford over plans to conduct coordinated mass shoplifting campaign
Emily Sergeant
Seven people have been arrested in Salford over plans to be part of a coordinated mass shoplifting campaign of ‘high end’ retailers and supermarkets across the country.
According to Greater Manchester Police (GMP), it is believed the group had been training for ‘non‑violent direct action’ in Salford as part of a coordinated mass shoplifting campaign, where they were intending to steal goods from high‑value stores and major supermarkets across the country, and then redistribute them to places such as food banks.
Working in collaboration with the Metropolitan Police Service, officers arrested one male and six females in Salford yesterday afternoon (Sunday 19 April) on suspicion of conspiracy to steal.
They all remain in police custody for questioning.
It has been reported in multiple sources, such as the BBC and the MEN, that the individuals arrested are believed to be part of the Take Back Power Action Group.
Take Back Power Action Group describes itself on its website as a ‘nonviolent civil resistance group’ that is aiming to ‘put the 99% in charge’ through citizen’s assemblies.
“We are ordinary people from all walks of life who believe that in order to fix Britain, taxing the rich is an essential first step, and we want ordinary people to decide how,” a statement on the group’s website declares.
Speaking following the arrests over the weekend, Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker said: “This joint operation with the Metropolitan Police has resulted in the arrests of seven individuals who we believe were planning to take part in coordinated national activity targeting high‑value retail stores.
“We are taking robust action to disrupt this type of organised criminality, and it will not be tolerated in Greater Manchester.
Georgina Pellant -
1st February 2022 
