Liquorice

Well I can’t keep this place to myself any more it seems so I had better review it. I’d say this is my favourite cocktail bar in Manchester, the bar staff are all very passionate about what they do and not at all pretentious. Its fairly small and the crowd seems variable but it’s never rammed (unlike socio rehab back in the day). They have a decent sized menu with interesting offerings with the main focus of quality being on taste, unlike some bars which seem to focus more on the aesthetics of the drink. They make great classic cocktails too if you ask them. I just really like the feel of this place

Perfect place for happy hour. Apart from that I’d say the cocktails are very over priced for what they are. Nice little bar tucked away off King Street with good décor — good place to begin a date night!

After two visits to Liquorice, I can safely say it’s becoming a real feature in my Manchester drinking pattern. If you want to be able to hear your conversation and get a table but not miss out on an evening atmosphere, it’s (almost) the perfect place.
Tucked away from King Street, it doesn’t attract the same footfall as most Manchester bars so it’s very much an ‘in the know’ kind of place. It’s not huge inside but has plenty of seating, including some outdoor bench tables.
The bar is split into two parts, with glasses in the middle, so don’t assume you can only get served on one side. We started with a bottle of prosecco which, at around £28, wasn’t the cheapest option but went down very well. We decided on a cocktail afterwards which, at around £7, are on the average price scale for the city. I had the margarita which the bartender had me try to ensure it was the right tartness, which was a nice touch as it felt like more of a personalised experience and that the staff actually care, rather than just knocking out drinks without thinking.
Unfortunately our table and menus were soaking, presumably from cold drinks and ice buckets throughout the day, and there wasn’t an obvious presence of staff tidying up. It was easily sorted with a handful of napkins but a bit of a downside. It’s also worth noting that there’s only one female/​disabled toilet, so be prepared to queue if it’s a busy evening.
Hopefully this will continue to be a bit of a hidden bar so we can continue to come and enjoy our evenings with plenty of conversation and cocktails!

Nice little bar tucked away down a side street.
Not too packed inside, great cocktail menu and quick, friendly service.
Quite a find!!!

I found the Unilocal map a bit confusing but eventually made it here!
It’s a small, trendy but not uncomfortably so, cocktail bar. There’s red fairy lights all over the ceiling and some high table with stools as well as tables with padded benches. It is small so I’d recommend it for a relaxed intimate drink rather than a hen do! The barmen were friendly and very helpful and seemed to be enjoying their jobs which is obviously good for the atmosphere.
The cocktail I had was really good. I’ve had a run of bad luck with cocktails over the last few months. A year ago the concept of a cocktail tasting bad had never entered my head. This was what cocktails should be — delicious and deceptive.
The 2 cocktails for £11 before 8pm deal even makes them affordable, nice.

Located partway down Pall Mall off King Street, Liquorice ended up being our group’s sanctuary on ‘Mad Friday’. Though the night in Manchester city centre wasn’t as mad as expected, we still had a great time here, pretty much ordering every single cocktail they had to offer.
Bustling with drinkers when we arrived, we had to bide our time before a seating area became free — once we staked our claim by the windows we didn’t move for the rest of the night (unless it was your round, obviously!).
Speaking of which, expect a lengthy wait at the bar if you’re ordering several cocktails, as the bar staff really do go to town on them. What you end up with though are some impressive looking (and importantly, tasting) drinks to wow your friends.
The stand-​out choices for me were the Long Island Ice Tea, Ultimate Gin & Tonic, Rhubarb Triangle, Diplomat’s Treat and Aviation.
Sheesh, no wonder my bank account was seriously raided when I checked the next day. If you decide to buy rounds, be financially prepared!
We all really liked it here — tucked away yet still with a good atmosphere. They were let down somewhat by the housekeeping; the paper cocktail menus were soaked through and the tables weren’t cleared of empty glasses very often. For a venue that describes itself as «luxurious», they should focus a bit more on front-​of-​house.

Liquorice is a nice little bar tucked away at the top of King Street. They have inviting outdoor seating at the front which is great on a Summer’s day. Inside the bar is quite relaxed and is a good choice if you want a chilled out drink after work or a quiet night with friends. The place is small but you can usually get a seat, the cocktails are good and the service friendly. I like the understated décor. Liquorice is a good choice if you fancy somewhere off the beaten track.

Maybe a Saturday afternoon doesn’t show off the place to its best. Not many there and as it was a warm day we decided to drink our cocktails outside — not the nicest of Manchester streets for that sort of thing. Anyway, we had a nice chat with the barman about cocktails and swapped Long Island Iced Tea recipes — I was delighted to learn that my recipe is a relative of The Flaming Homer and would be illegal to serve in a public bar. Cool! Their LIIT was ok and my wife approved of her
Daiquiri. The place didn’t make much of an impression amongst the bars we visited that day but, as I say, it may have just been that we showed up at the wrong time.

Liquorice’s signature liquorice cocktail is really good. It kind of looked terrible because it was all weirdly creamy and foamy but it tasted amazing. It features raw egg and the last cocktail I had with raw egg in it was horrible but the lime and sours blended perfectly to give the perfect mix of sweet and sour. It really was a great drink and having seen the inventive cocktails on the rest of the menu I will definitely come back here.
The bar itself isn’t particularly beautiful but it’s nice in an understated way and there’s a nice corner booth table that would have been mine had I not politely stood with my friend at the bar. In future I shall abandon him and secure my domain.

Lovely little bar, nice and relaxed, a great place for a friendly cocktail away from all the Manchester posers.

In a slightly out of the way location just off upper King St this venue has changed identity frequently over the years and is now a pretty convincing cocktail bar — maybe not a place to spend the night but certainly worthy of calling in on the way to or from other place in the city centre.
«Contemporary» décor with a mix of high stools and comfier fixed seating areas which were occupied with groups of friends — a pretty cool place to meet if that’s what you need. There’s also a seating area outside and its location slightly off the main roads makes in a successful if unusual spot to drink al fresco. As is sadly the case with many small outside areas there was a constant miasma of cig smoke though :(
Bar was well stocked and barmen were really knowledgeable and enthusiastic and couldn’t try hard enough to keep me and my fella happy. Other half loves to chat with staff about products or drinks that he is unfamiliar with and they were happy to let him sample some of their more unusual brands.
We enjoyed our drinks, though they were decent value and we will definitely be back for more.

Lovely little bar with a warm welcome and extensive menu of cocktails and beers. I had previously visited this place when it was a resturant and I was impressed. I will definitely visit Liquorice again.

A slightly odd location for this cocktail bar, tucked down the side of Le Relais de Venise, but rather handy at the time.
It’s a small place, empty when we arrived on a Saturday afternoon. The cocktail menu reads well and the staff are very friendly.
The cocktails, as is sadly so common in Manchester, are not quite there yet. They list an Aviation on the menu but it’s nothing like the traditional one — this version was sickly-​sweet, of the type you’d expect at Revolution and whatnot.
The caipirinha was well made enough, but the other two failed to inspire. Apparently the place is now doing food as well (as it’s still owned by the Destino people, the Italian bistro that was here before), but we didn’t try that, and I don’t think this place quite stands up as a cocktail bar.

Loved it. Went with 2 friends yesterday. Ben the manager knows what he’s talking about when he“s making cocktails. We were really well looked after and he made us some special cocktails tailored to suit our palette. Unfortunately it was v quiet, so not much of an atmosphere but hopefully this will improve as more people get to know about it. We tried one of the taster dishes the Italian one. It was lovely. We didn’t get chance to order main dishes as it was late in the day. We will definately be back to sample the food. Sea bass for me. Would love to see mushroom risotto on there (yes I know it’s not Destino’s anymore ;() I have already recommended it to my friend who lives in Bristol and visits Manchester regularly.

Fab new bar, excellent cocktails and champagne! A hidden gem, just round the corner from jamies Italian, definately worth a visit!