Manchester for Drinkers
Travel Distilled publishes a guide to Manchester for drinkers covering the best historic pubs, whisky bars, distilleries and breweries.
Manchester, a city renowned for its music and culture, is also a vibrant hub for drink enthusiasts. From traditional pubs with a rich history to cutting-edge cocktail bars and a booming craft beer scene, the city offers a diverse range of drinking experiences.
Manchester for Drinkers
Manchester’s Historic Pubs
Manchester’s pub culture is as rich as its industrial history. These traditional watering holes offer a glimpse into the city’s past while serving up classic drinks.
The Old Wellington is more than just a pub; it’s a living piece of Manchester’s history. Built in 1552, it’s the oldest building of its kind in the city. Originally located next to the Market Square, the entire pub was moved 100 meters in 1998 during a redevelopment project, preserving this historic gem for future generations. The building has served various purposes over the centuries. It was once a draper’s shop owned by the Byrom family, with John Byrom, the inventor of shorthand, being born there in 1692.
In 1830, it finally transformed into a licensed public house. You’ll be impressed by its extensive and contemporary gin and whisky lists, as this is not a pub that rests on its historic laurels.
The Peveril of the Peak is a Manchester landmark, a Grade II listed building renowned for its distinctive green-tiled exterior, traditional pub atmosphere, and rich history. Built around 1820, the pub has stood the test of time, undergoing renovations in the early 1900s to give it the notable look it has today.
The name’s origin is debated, with some suggesting it’s a reference to Sir Walter Scott’s novel, Peveril of the Peak, while others believe it commemorates a stagecoach that ran between London and Manchester. Whichever, the pub has a colourful past. It was reportedly a brothel during World War II and has a reputation for being a lively, sometimes rowdy, establishment. However, in recent decades, it’s transformed into a beloved local pub with a strong emphasis on traditional values.
Inside, you’ll find a warm and welcoming atmosphere, with polished wood, stained glass windows, and comfortable bench seating. The Peveril is known for its excellent selection of real ales, making it a favourite among beer enthusiasts.
This pub first gained its license in 1730. You’ll find it at 138 Deansgate and it’s been sympathetically refurbished to retain its traditional character. It has a decent whisky list and a huge menu of gins from around the world. The food menu is classic pub fare, like Sausage and Mash and Fish and Chips, and it prides itself on its pies, including a Chicken and Truffled Oyster Mushroom Pie and a British Steak and Nicholson’s Pale Ale Pie
Craft Beer Paradise: Manchester’s Brewing Revolution
Manchester has become a craft beer mecca, with a plethora of breweries and taprooms producing innovative and delicious brews.
This award-winning brewery is a must-visit for any beer lover. Their taproom offers a rotating selection of their own beers, as well as guest brews from other breweries. They offer a brewery tour, which takes about 90 minutes, and then a tasting of four of their beers. They also have regular movie nights.
This popular beer house boasts an impressive range of craft beers, both on tap and in bottles. With knowledgeable staff and a lively atmosphere, it’s a great place to discover new beers. They’ve been open since 2011 and now have 18 keg lines and 7 cask lines as well as a worldwide collection in cans and bottles.
Manchester’s Best Cocktail Bars
Manchester’s cocktail scene is thriving, with a host of stylish bars offering creative and delicious drinks.
This renowned bar is famous for its theatrical and visually stunning cocktails. Expect to be amazed by the presentation as well as the taste of their drinks. You can learn some of their secrets by taking a Masterclass in Mixology.
This intimate bar, hidden away in a basement of the Queens Chambers Building at 2 South King Street, offers expertly crafted cocktails in a stylish and relaxed atmosphere. They have several different cocktail menus including Bespoke Classics, Twisted Classics, their own Signature Cocktails, and their Dead and Buried selection, taken from vintage cocktail books. This is definitely a great cocktail experience in Manchester.
This chain bar at 1 Peter Street offers a wide range of classic and modern cocktails, naturally with a focus on martinis. You can indulge yourself with a range of them at their Bottomless Brunch, held four times a day, every day. There’s also a Happy Hour Sunday-Wednesday, a lengthy cocktail menu, bottle serves with complimentary mixers, cocktail masterclasses and a decent food menu of mainly tapas-style serves.
Located in the heart of Manchester’s gay village, Velvet is a stylish bar with a great selection of cocktails. It’s part of the Velvet Hotel in a former warehouse but is open to all, and as well as the bar and lounge there’s a brasserie too. This naturally serves typical brasserie food, like Beef Bourguignon and Chicken Cassoulet. The drinks menu runs to several pages, with an emphasis on classic and signature cocktails, and spirits.
Manchester for Gin Lovers
Gin enthusiasts will find plenty to love in Manchester, with a growing number of gin bars and distilleries.
The Spirit of Manchester Distillery
Take a tour of this local distillery to learn about the gin-making process and sample their award-winning spirits. You can also learn how to make gin for yourself, and there’s a cocktail bar and restaurant too, Three Little Words, where you can enjoy live music on their Soul Sundays. The rest of the week the cocktail menu is a stylish and stunning 36 pages of innovative creations, while the food menu is equally inventive.
This bar on Deansgate has been in business for 26 years and boasts the largest gin selection in Manchester, with over 570 (!) different gins to choose from. They offer gin masterclasses, a special gin-themed food menu, a Gin Paddle Board (three gins with mixers), a Gin of the Week, a Bottle Shop and a Bottomless Brunch Thursday-Sunday.
This stylish bar offers a great selection of gins, including local and international brands. They offer a hearty brunch from 9am-4pm daily, and small but decent cocktail and wine lists.
See below under Whisky Bars, though it’s also good for gins.
This quirky bar in Chorlton has a strong focus on gin, with a vast selection of gins from around the world. Their menu is focussed, they say, on cocktails and carbs, so expect pizzas and burgers, mac and cheese, fish and chips, and a fun and lngthy cocktails menu.
Manchester’s Best Whisky Bars
For those who prefer the warmth and complexity of whisky, Manchester offers a range of options.
This historic pub in a Grade II listed building on Rochdale Road is renowned for its extensive whisky collection. With a cosy atmosphere and knowledgeable staff, it’s a whisky lover’s paradise. For food, try a steak and stout pie or one of their home-made burgers. The pub used to house the Marble Brewery, which is now based in Salford and does brewery tours as well as having a tap room.
This stylish hotel bar offers a curated selection of whiskies, along with elegant surroundings and attentive service. They have their own original cocktail creations as well, and will make you any classic cocktail you care for.
This popular bar in the Northern Quarter boasts an extensive collection of whiskies from around the world, with a particular focus on Scottish and Japanese whiskies, though the collection is worldwide. It’s a happening place as they also offer regular whisky tasting events and masterclasses, whisky festivals, a Monday Cocktail Club, open mic nights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and live music on Fridays and Saturdays.
This historic pub has been serving whisky for over 200 years and has a wide selection of malt whiskies, including rare and vintage bottles.
This ‘subterranean drinking den’, as they call themselves, is in the Northern Quarter and offers a curated selection of rare and unique whiskies, including some hard-to-find bottlings. It also has a great gin list and an amazing beer selection.
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Inside this England travel guide you’ll find:
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