The Liquor Store

Popped in to The Liquor Store to take advantage of the week night deals (2x Budweiser pints for £5, 2 x small wines for £5 or any cocktail for £5). It is quickly becoming one of my favourite bars in Manchester, mainly because of the tune after tune they play, absolute belters! They have yummy deli snacks and bar nibbles too. It gets busy from 5 onwards on a weeknight, filled with suits after work but gets quitter as the evening goes on.
They just do what they do well, simple as.

This is actually a pretty good bar. It kind of looks like it might be a gentleman’s club from the outside but inside it has some decent seating areas and generally is very clean and respectable!
Ale choice is highly limited but there’s a basic selection of drinks across the board, including some drinkable house white wine. The bartender was really nice, friendly and patient which to me gave the whole place a positive vibe.
I work right across from here and have often noticed it’s busy even though a bit out of the way, which is a good sign. Now I’ve finally tried it out I’ll probably pop back in as it’s so convenient.

Considering this is a 5-​minute walk from my apartment it is my «go to» place on route home or on a rainy weekend. With a great range of cocktails and wine to choose from it’s a lovely place to relax in the big armchairs in the corner or even sit at the bar and chat to the staff.
This place is fantastically run with the feel of a proper bar — the bar staff don’t use measurers to the tee so you know you’re in for a «proper» alcoholic beverage. The majority of the staff stay the same from time to time so you are familiar with the faces smiling back at you — and as always they are super friendly.
My favorite is the cosmopolitan although I’ve tried a couple of others. Given the extensive selection of liquors behind the bar I’m also pretty sure they’d make you up something that wasn’t on the menu…
The only down side to this place is the price — you can be set back almost £10 for a cocktail alone. Although it’s a nice treat it’s better to opt for a glass of prosecco or a bottle of wine to share.

For the past few months since i moved back into MCR, i’ve been to The Liquor Store a few times.
What i like about it, is that it isn’t surrounded by many other bars — if anything, it’s slightly out of the way and a lot of people who i talk to wouldn’t have known where it was unless i explained the location. The Liquor Store is on the corner of Blackfriars Street and The Parsonage — just down bit from ‘the Living room end’ of Deansgate. It isn’t too big inside and has exposed brickwork, nice seating and a standard sized AND well stocked bar.
I know a few of the bartenders in here — thanks to my flatmates! — and they’re all friendly and will whip you up a drink of your choice in a flash.
It isn’t too expensive in here either — and the music is fab.
It’s open until 3am most nights and it isn’t too far for me to stagger home. Winner.

I’ve been here a couple of times now and Madchester /​Britpop music has always been playing, which for me, lays the foundations of a great evening (or indeed day) of drinking. I can’t bear to be in bars which blast out audio atrocities like dubstep and the likes of Rihanna and Calvin Harris — yuck!
You can tell the owner is into his music as much as I am; there are lyrics from songs by Ian Brown, Oasis, The Smiths etc on the walls of the bar and the drinks menu features an array of tempting cocktails with Manchester-​themed names, such ‘The Stone Rose’.
Prices are about right for the city centre (by that I mean ‘not very cheap’) but let’s face it, cheap bars just invite the wrong type of crowd and I don’t fancy a punch-​up any time soon.
Staff are friendly and the cocktails are pretty damn good. Best bit? They’re located about 3 minutes away from where I live, so I’m going to consider this my local from now on.

I’d heard the cocktails were good here, but hadn’t got around to coming in.
It’s an unprepossessing entrance — think 80s job centre — but the insides are cosy enough. It’s a Mojo-​style Manchester theme inside, all Tony Wilson portraits and the like. Which is a bit of an odd match with their main focus — cocktails, which are done well, if they have rather silly names.
I had two — the first, One Cube Boss, a decent take on a Sidecar, and the second, a salted caramel old fashioned. The latter *would* have been good, but unfortunately wasn’t stirred and didn’t come with any stirrer — so all the caramel lurked at the bottom.
Sips of the girly, decent, Tina Turner Died and St Hendrick’s Rose, confirmed that they do their cocktails well here.
No idea what the atmosphere is like later at night though. Or the food for that matter.

Beware the menu with no prices. Well, not no prices, but limited printed information.
Heading to The Liquor Store after an evening trawling the sales of Manchester, we were in the mood for something to eat. And when I say we, I mean me. I dragged the boyf down those steps and we ordered a glass of white wine, a pint of bud, and a large plate of nachos. There aren’t many staff who work here so don’t be surprised if you end being served by the same person every time you walk in the door like we have been. She’s lovely, but god it feels like we should be best friends by now.
Drinks came quickly, as did food — the nachos hit the spot. Served with garlicy guacamole, sour cream and really fresh tasting salsa, they were the perfect combination of cheesey crunchy creamy goodness. We got stuck in with fingers — no cutlery required but none asked for either (hardcore) — and demolished the lot. The cheese was slightly congealed, but that wasn’t enough to put me off, though I think it would have the potential to put some people off.
Now for the kicked — those two drinks and one portion of food came to around £19. WHAT. WHY? Okay, so £6.50 for a large glass of wine (we’re not students anymore) and a pint of beer for around £5…so £8 for nachos? Eek.
I’ll come back for the 555 deal and the cocktails, but no more evening snackettes.

If you are the type who fancies — Good old school and alternative Rock &Roll
Great Cocktails, unusual ones
And brick walls
Then, this place my friend will be your next best friend! The Liquor Store is one of those newly opened hidden gems in Deansgate. The minute you enter you get a very quirky vibe with the music, brick walls, posters and even the bar men. I was happy to see them at Cocktails in the City event in Town hall, made me think finally more people will know about this place (I am one of those who always has an urgent desire to shout out from the roof top if I discover a nice place). The bar tenders are so charming that they can literally woo you with their cocktails, I was absolutely stumped by mine (A strawberry, liquor and cream cocktail which was topped with more cream and strawberries). The cocktails are decently priced too, 6.50 for one cocktail is not bad at all! Oh and now let me get to the music — I loved the music here so much so that I could not stop grooving and singing along. They played everything from Jimi Hendrix to RHCP to Bob Marley (nothing beats good old rock&roll). There is also an outside smoking area and patio, so I would imagine this place could be pretty good when the sun is shining bright!
Verdict: I am a fan, need to go back very soon when the sun shines to see how good their outdoor seating area is!