Manchester is officially home to award-winning cocktail bars. Last night (February 10), the winners of the Top 50 Cocktail Bars were revealed, with some Manchester spots making the list, including one in the top 10.
The Top 50 Cocktail Bars list is compiled by the bar industry, making it a unique list of venues those in the know like to visit. The organisers recruit over 100 industry experts who make up the voting academy, from bartenders and owners, to drinks writers and influencers, in order to curate an extra special list that has something for every type of drinker.
The Top 50 Cocktail Bars list: from the first Manchester bar to be crowned overall winner to a groovy newcomer in the Northern Quarter
Coming in sixth place for this year was Schofield’s Bar, run by sibling team Joe and Daniel Schofield. Last year, the bar came in third place, and in 2024, the bar made history as the first Manchester bar to be crowned the overall winner.
The Top 50 Cocktail Bars organisers praised the Schofield brothers for their unique offering of supplying their favourite books that guests can read while sipping a cocktail. Some of the book and cocktail combinations include Casino Royale, served with a Vesper Martini; Cocktail, served with a Singapore Sling; and The Old Man and the Sea, served with a Mojito.
Not far behind Schofield’s in 14th place was Spinningfields bar Speak In Code, which serves up creative cocktails with a 1920’s vibe, hidden down a quiet street just off Deansgate. Also making the Top 50 Cocktail Bars list was Blinker in 22nd place, the same position as last year, which the judges for Top 50 Cocktail Bars praised for their snacks available to enjoy with your drink, such as truffle crisps, cacio e pepe toasties with three types of cheese and black pepper or a sausage roll with mustard.
However, new to the list this year was The Morris, which came in 42nd place and is run by the same team behind Blinker, offering a comfy pub on the ground floor and a groovy cocktail bar upstairs. The Northern Quarter bar‘s cocktail list is split into funky, fizzy, shaken, stirred, sub-zero and sensible (no-alcohol), where you can select a Celebration – Buffalo Trace, Mars Bar, coconut cacao nib, Angostura and Celebration – or an Emerald – Altos Platam Del Maguey VIDA Caribbean Pineapple, jalapeno, agave, lime and cucumber.
For the full list, head to the Top 50 Cocktail Bars website here.