Last night (April 16) was quite the night for Manchester as one cocktail bar flew the flag for the city by taking home a coveted award. Schofield’s Bar has been collecting numerous awards but now the drinking spot has been crowned the ‘Best Bar in the North’ at CLASS Bar Awards.
Racking up three CLASS Bar Awards nominations and winning one of those, Schofield’s Bar was praised last night for its “period, classy looks” and “focus on five-star service”, winning ‘Best Bar in the North’ once again, and it has previously won the ‘Bar of the Year’ award two years in a row.
Opening in spring 2021, Joe and Daniel Schofield’s debut bar set in Manchester’s Sunlight House has become “an instant classic”, winning plaudits across the UK as well as being named one of the best cocktail bars in the world. The brothers’ hotel bar Sterling at the Stock Exchange Hotel meanwhile also had success with its prodigious head bartender Yadney Fernandes taking home the award for ‘Emerging Bartender of the Year‘, an award he shared with Anna King from The Guards Bar & Lounge at Raffles Hotel at The OWO, London. Reah Owen of Project Halcyon Distillery in Manchester was also nominated for the award.
The owners of Schofield’s were also nominated for the award of ‘Bar Innovator of the Year’ as well as ‘Bar of the Year’ but unfortunately missed out on receiving the award for the third time in a row to Satan’s Whiskers in London. Schofield’s was just one of four Manchester bars to be nominated for the CLASS Bar Awards, alongside Speak in Code, Project Halycon Distillery and Blinker, which saw the ‘Best Bar in the North’ category dominated by Manchester bars.
Hamish Smith, editor of CLASS and co-host of the CLASS Bar Awards, said: “This year felt like a return to form for London, which seems to be in a flourish of regeneration – it took some of the big awards of the night, not least Bar of the Year, New Bar of the Year, Bar Manager of the Year and Outstanding Contribution.
“Yet, talent continues to shine across the country, with bars and bartenders from Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Bristol, Liverpool and Edinburgh taking home awards.
“And while we have had 21 winners take to stage at the CLASS Bar Awards this year, all of our 82 finalists have reason to celebrate. Each and every one of them are driving the UK bar industry forwards.”
The full list of CLASS Bar Awards winners and finalists
Social Media Presence of the Year sponsored by Disaronno Velvet
Winner Manolo, Liverpool
Lab 22, Cardiff
Sexy Fish, London
Scarfes Bar, London
Front of House Star of the Year sponsored by FIOL Prosecco
Winner Giacomo Faure, Vesper Bar at The Dorchester London
Lucy Thomas, Lyaness, London
Paola Mariotti, Sterling, Manchester
Rachel Bailey Palumbo, Hey Palu, Edinburgh
Sustainable Practices Award sponsored by Avallen Calvados
Winner Gungho!, Brighton
Below Stairs, Leeds
Pal Bar + Kitchen, Grimsby
Emerging Bartender of the Year sponsored by La Hechicera
Winner Anna King, The Guards Bar & Lounge at Raffles Hotel at The OWO, London
Winner Yadney Fernandes, Sterling, Manchester
Georgia Balson, Atelier Coupette, London
Reah Owen, Project Halcyon Distillery, Manchester
Bar Manager of the Year sponsored by Italicus
Winner Sophie Bratt, Nobu Bar, Nobu Hotel Portman Square, London
Max Hayward, Lab 22, Cardiff
Michele Mariotti, American Bar at Gleneagles, Auchterarder
Pietro Collina, Viajante87, London
Bar Employer of the Year sponsored by Cotswolds Distillery
Winner SoCap (Nebula / Soda & Friends), London
American Bar at Gleneagles, Auchterarder
Kiki Lounge, Douglas
Passing Fancies, Birmingham
Cocktail of the Year sponsored by Renais Spirits
Winner Adult Ribena, Passing Fancies, Birmingham
Absinthe Frappe, Filthy XIII, Bristol
East 8 Hold Up, Satan’s Whiskers, London
Wilderness, Panda & Sons, Edinburgh
Drinks Menu of the Year sponsored by Franklin & Sons
Winner Transcend, Panda & Sons, Edinburgh
Passing Fancies, Birmingham
Couch, Birmingham
Kwãnt, London
Bar Food Menu of the Year sponsored by Altamura Vodka
Winner Kwãnt, London
Passing Fancies, Birmingham
Side Hustle, Nomad, London
Tayēr + Elementary, London
Hotel Bar of the Year sponsored by Everleaf Drinks
Winner Connaught Bar, The Connaught, London
American Bar, Gleneagles, Auchterarder
Lyaness, Sea Containers, London
Scarfes Bar, Rosewood, London
Best Bar in the North sponsored by The Busker
Winner Schofield’s, Manchester
Blinker, Manchester
Project Halcyon Distillery, Manchester
Speak in Code, Manchester
Best Bar in the Midlands & East Anglia sponsored by Doghouse Distillery
Winner Passing Fancies, Birmingham
11th & Social, Norwich
Couch, Birmingham
Lucky 7, Birmingham
Best Bar in the West sponsored by Master of Malt Trade
Winner Filthy XIII, Bristol
Hideout, Bath
Milk Thistle, Bristol
Ojo Rojo, Bournemouth
Best Bar in Wales sponsored by Madri
Winner Lab 22, Cardiff
La Pantera, Cardiff
Nightshade, Cardiff
Pennyroyal, Cardiff
Best Bar in London & the South East sponsored by Espolon
Winner Satan’s Whiskers, London
Kwãnt, London
Seed Library, London
Tayēr + Elementary, London
Best Bar in Scotland & Northern Ireland sponsored by Disaronno Velvet
Winner Panda & Sons, Edinburgh
Bramble, Edinburgh
Hey Palu, Edinburgh
Nauticus, Edinburgh
Bar of the Year sponsored by The Lost Explorer
Winner Satan’s Whiskers
Panda & Sons, Edinburgh
Lab 22, Cardiff
Filthy XIII, Bristol
Passing Fancies, Birmingham
Schofield’s, Manchester
New Bar of the Year sponsored by Wild Turkey
Winner Kwãnt, London
Atelier Coupette, London
Equal Parts, London
Dram, London
Bartender of the Year sponsored by Savoia Americano
Winner Matt Arnold, Passing Fancies, Birmingham
Chelsea Bailey, freelance / ex-American Bar at The Savoy
Filippos Filippopoulos, Tabula Rasa, Leeds
Katie Rouse, Couch, Birmingham
Bar Innovator of the Year sponsored by Hoxton Spirits
Winner Iain McPherson, Panda & Sons, Nauticus, Hoot the Redeemer, Edinburgh
Joe & Dan Schofield, Schofield’s, Manchester
Matt Arnold & Eve Green, Passing Fancies, Birmingham
Monica Berg & Alex Kratena, Tayēr + Elementary, London
Outstanding Contribution Award sponsored by Funkin
Winner Hannah Sharman-Cox and Siobhan Payne