Manchester Rum Festival is set to return to Manchester this month, but this time, things are ramping up.
There’ll be more than 50 rum brands bringing the calypso vibes to New Century, serving cocktails and rum tastings.
The huge event is taking over New Century for the first time, happily falling on World Rum Day (13 July).
The bigger venue also means a larger-than-ever line-up of rums and brands, with tastings all included in the ticket price.
Cocktail creations will come from local bars like Exhibition, Hold Fast, Northern Monk Refectory and New Century Kitchen, with the official cocktail bar headed up by MONIN.
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Authentic Caribbean food will come from Nyammin’, who will have their world-famous rum cake in abundance, while Manchester legend DJ Dom will be keeping the party going all day with a mix of Reggae and Soca from the decks.
Rum names making their Manchester debut at the Manchester Rum Festival include O Reizinho, an agricultural rum from Madeira; Casa Tarasco from Mexico; Renegade Cane Rum from Grenada; Ron Carúpano, a Venezuelan brand with the only female Master Blender in the country; Rhum Depaz from the volcanic terroir of Martinique; and Don Q from Puerto Rico.
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Manchester Rum Festival – Tiki paradise lands at New Century this month
Bristol Classic, a rum firm that produces limited quantity rums from countries including Guyana and Mauritius, as well as Trinidad and the Dominican Republic, will also be making its first appearance at the festival.
Other much-loved brands making an appearance include Chairman’s Reserve, Pusser’s, Worthy Park, Cockspur, Damoiseau, Don Papa, Ninefold and Aluna, plus Manchester-based One-Eyed Rebel from the Spirit of Manchester Distillery.
And if you fancy switching from the rum for a brief while, there’s also going to be Caribbean lager Carib heading to Manchester for the very first time.
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London Essence will be the official mixer partner for 2024, bringing their distinctive drinks, including tonics, crafted sodas and lemonades, to the festival.
This year, founder and Manchester rum expert Dave Marsland and special guests will also be running three ‘Rum Ramble’ seminars.
These will include a ‘From Grass to Glass, the making of a Rum Brand’ showcase with Equiano Rum and Ian Burrell; a talk and tasting surrounding the world of rum cocktails with MONIN; and finally, a ‘Make your own Arranges’ class (the first time this has been run at a European festival) hosted by Damoiseau of Guadeloupe and ambassador, Danilo Grenci.
Ticket-holders will have the chance to book their places on these exclusive seminars in advance.
Dave Marsland said: “The festival brings together renowned distilleries from all over the world, and ticket holders are in for an even bigger treat this year as we relocate to New Century Hall – what an incredible, iconic central city venue it is!
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“The event really has gone from strength to strength over the last eight years and we are now one of the biggest rum festivals in the country outside London.
“We can’t wait to welcome the rum lovers to the event, which is set to host more rum brands than ever before, meaning the ticket price is even better value for money.”
A dedicated anime, movie and gaming concert with a live orchestra is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
Calling all self-proclaimed otakus, cinephiles and gamers: a huge concert experience will see dozens of musicians bring classic anime, film and gaming soundtracks and scores to life later this year, right here in Manchester.
The city is no stranger to events celebrating these beloved kinds of media, but you’ll struggle to find another bringing all of them together in one place.
Brought to us Mancs by KIN Music Entertainment, a locally founded arts, events and music label, this celebration of all things pop culture – and specifically, the music tied to it.
Entitled ‘The Kin & Fushigi Anime, Film & Videogame Orchestra’, this passionate collective serves as not only a platform for rising artists but also to hear some iconic sonic moments like never before.
KIN have created a large-scale live concert experience which will bring together a 25-piece pop orchestra made up of emerging professional performers and conservatoire graduates.
Aside from the impressive total of people behind this production to begin with, they also form an immersive hybrid orchestral and live band capable of bringing.
Speaking on the upcoming date, KIN Entertainment said in a statement: “We wanted to create the kind of live experience that many anime and videogame fans in Manchester have been waiting for — something cinematic, emotional and community-driven that brings these sound worlds to life with the energy of both an orchestra and a live band.”
Kin was founded by bassist, composer and ensemble performer Alejandro Urbina Diaz, who first brought his talents and wider interests over from Mexico to the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) here in the city centre at the age of 23.
Citing Manchester’s multiculturalism and cosmopolitan cultural fabric as a big part of his inspiration, he and his team have ended up carving out this niche for themselves, and now they’ll be playing this beloved music to Mancs at none other than the O2 Ritz.
Credit: KIN Music Entertainment (supplied via Academy Music Group Digital)
With new arrangements inspired by anime, cinematic and videogame culture, not to mention orchestral and even rock crossover twists – including both vocalist and rhythm sections, by the way – it’s set to be a highly unique experience that most will have never come across before.
This event itself is suitable for audiences aged 14+, although under-16s must be accompanied by an adult, and it’s taking place at the Ritz on Sunday, 26 July.
We’re not going to spoil any more details about the show for you, so which particular pieces of pop culture they reference will just have to be a surprise…
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via AMG Digital)
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You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Manchester’s Deansgate
Daisy Jackson
There’s a brand-new menu of smokehouse-style BBQ dishes being served up on a sunny terrace on Deansgate.
Motley, the neighbourhood bar and restaurant on the corner of John Dalton Street, has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen.
That means they’ve got a whole load of new dishes, slow-cooked over hickory wood, that are bringing a taste of a Deep South BBQ to Manchester city centre.
The smokehouse-style meats are all seasoned in-house and cooked for hours, for a perfect fall-off-the-bone experience.
It might be an authentic American smokehouse menu, but it’s firmly British too, with most products locally sourced.
You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Deansgate / Credit: The Manc Group
Motley are calling on local suppliers like Althams Butchers (established since 1856) for their meat, plus greengrocers R Noone and Son, and Cheshire Farm for their real dairy ice cream.
Signature dishes on the new menu at Motley include slow smoked brisket, seasoned in Motley’s signature rub before being slow-smoked for more than eight hours.
There’s also a beef short rib with a chimichurri sauce, and a pork belly strip that’s seasoned with sage and onion and finished with a panko breadcrumb crust.
And for the veggies, there’s a vegan smoked veg kebab with courgette, mushrooms, bell pepper, sweet corn and red onion drizzled with homemade BBQ sauce.
Motley has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen / Credit: The Manc Group
Prices across the board start from just £16, served with beef dripping fries, rainbow slaw, pickles and homemade beef gravy.
As for small plates, you can expect short rib bonbons, homemade corn bread, spicy chicken wings, bang bang cauliflower, mac and cheese, and frickles.
House favourites like steak, vegetable hash, salads, and burgers will remain on the Motley menu.
Victor Gonzalez, food and beverage manager at Motley, said: “Our new signature smoked dishes are all crafted and seasoned in-house then slow cooked for hours over hickory wood to create rich and smoky melt-in-your mouth flavours.
“From our slow-smoked brisket to our home-made sides, everything has been carefully crafted to bring an authentic taste of the deep south to Manchester and we can’t wait for guests to try it.”
Motley can be found at 2 John Dalton Street on the corner of Deansgate in the city centre.
Daisy Jackson -
11th July 2024 
