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Making Friends Whilst Drinking Like A King With A VIP Taste Of Manchester's Bars
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The Liquourist's Trail was a brilliant, exciting and fun way to sample some of the best bars that Manchester has to offer. The trail was expertly set up allowing you enough time to sample a cocktail and food provided in comfortable time within each bar we visited. Starting at the 5 star Lowry Hotel, we sampled the Spiced Pear Bacardi Martini (made with Bacardi Superior rum) before moving on to try the Apricot Southern Comfort Jam at Apotheca, where our brilliant drinks-consultant-cum-tour-guide, Charlene, normally works. At 24 Bar & Grill (previously Obsidian) we enjoyed the Long Cold Ice, made with the brilliant Kettle One Vodka from Holland. This being a December trail, the Christmas Eggnog (made with Havana Club Seleccion de Maestros rum) at Sandinista was delicious and very seasonal. They also gave us a single shot of Havana Club rum. Finally, at Moose Bar the equally festive Grand Marnier Hot Toddy ended the night perfectly. |
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Our guide for the night, the beautiful Charlene, was always on hand to provide her expert knowledge on everything spirit and cocktail related. The service throughout the night was great. At The Lowry, everybody was friendly and served our reserved area very promptly. We were guided to the downstairs bar at Apotheca where we had a table reserved, even though the room had been booked by the Nordic Society - interestingly, a party which two of the ManchesterBars.com were also attending. Obviously, this being Charlene's home turf, service was top notch. At 24 Bar & Grill, we had a reserved alcove and received the sole attention of Adam, one of our favourite bartenders in town. In typical fashion, he provided an excellent indepth explanation of how the Long Cold Ice was invented. When we arrived at Sandinista, some people were sat in our reserved section at first but these were quickly moved on by the staff and the service was equally as attentive with drinks topped up free on request, sometimes they wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. |
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The Liquorists Trail is a great way to make new friends, as was the case in our group, and each bar visited offers a different atmosphere. The Lowry was chilled out and relaxed if somewhat, as you'd expect for a 5 star hotel, a little formal with lots of business clients milling around. The atmosphere was equally relaxed at Apotheca, with some great tracks being played on the stereo. As it was still early, the Nordic Society's party hadn't really kicked off yet so the bar was half full with a friendly good-looking Scandinavian crowd (as well as the two ugly mugs from the ManchesterBars.com team). 24 Bar & Grill was fairly quiet with a few Christmas shoppers and hotel residents within the bar. Again, another relaxed, chilled vibe enabled the group to get to know each other whilst enjoying the drinks. By the time we hit Sandinista it was very busy, with crowds of people seemingly falling in from the Christmas market next door. Again the playlist is worthy of note and is one of the best in town (Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Guns'n'Roses etc). Finally, the Christmas spirit was all over Moose Bar and, with the ice rink attached, the atmosphere was brilliantly festive. |
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The Liquorists Trail takes in a real mixture of bars, from the modern, chic and contemporary look of The Lowry and recently refurbished 24 Bar & Grill to the Bohemian, dark and brickwalled Apotheca in the Northern Quarter. The warm and fresh Sandinista adds a colourful latin vibe whilst the pop-up festive log cabin of Moose Bar added a ski chalet touch. A perfect flavour of what Manchester has to offer. |
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An added bonus is that you are chauffeur driven to each bar, where a reserved area is waiting with the benefit of not having to queue for drinks. The night was a huge success, and after being driven around Manchester like a VIP and eating and drinking like a king, we found ourselves becoming attached to the group that we'd met three hours earlier as complete strangers and ending the night as friends. The Liquorists Trails are ideal for visitors to city or Mancunians alike and are great to attend individually, as a couple, or a crowd. You are guaranteed to have a fantastic time whilst hopefully finding some new Manchester haunts or favourite tipples along the way. |
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~ ManchesterBars.com (December 2011) |
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