Manchester is a great city by day, but it only comes truly alive at night.

Famous across the country for its buzzy nightlife and eclectic music scene, Mancurian bars & clubs are second to none and a visit to one of the city’s top cocktail bars  is an absolute weekend must-do.

Manchester’s hip Northern Quarter is full of great places to spend the night, but top of my list is Dusk til Pawn.

Find the big ‘Pawn Shop’ sign in the window and make a beeline for one of Manchester’s coolest speakeasy bars.

Popular with locals and visitors alike, Dusk til Pawn is famous for both its creative cocktail menu & its great atmosphere.

… not to mention its impressive liquor collection (and that’s not even all of it!)!

Grab a seat at the bar, pick your poison and watch in awe as the bartenders work their magic, stirring, mixing and shaking glass after glass of delicious creations for you to taste.

Favourites included The Sinnerman (Bourbon, cinnamon, cherry juice)

The Bail Bond (House celery gin, elderflower, rosemary, tonic)

The Brass Ball (Whisky, marmelade, ginger, bitters)

Make sure you also order ‘A Million Dollars’.

You might not end up quite as rich as you’d expect, but you certainly are in for a treat…

… And a bit of a show!

Let the oak smoke infuse into the barrel-aged fig old fashioned for as long as you can bare it.

Then delight in the strong smokey notes, balancing perfectly against the sweetness of the fig.

Another highlight was the Diamond Glove (Gin, rhubarb, rosemary, grapefruit).

And even if you’re late to make it for your restaurant reservation (#truestory), you must have a Hustle (oh, the irony!)

Combining house plum gin, bail, lime and pomegranate, it’s one of the most surprising cocktails I’ve ever tasted.

Quite worth the risk of ending up without a table to be honest…

So whether you live there all year round or are just visiting for a couple of days, make sure you include Dusk til Pawn into your Manchester weekend plans.

 

And in case you were wondering, yes, we did make it in time for our dinner booking in the end.

But that my friends is a (burger full) story for another day (tomorrow)…

 

Dusk til Pawn, Stevenson Square, Northern Quarter, Manchester M1 1FB