LET’S just say it has been quite a year for Nathan Larking and his cutting edge vegan cocktail lounge Speak In Code. Among the landmark moments – being shortlisted for Bar of the Year in the Manchester Food and Drink Awards, winning a competition trip to New York with a foraged dandelion cocktail and winning Best Cocktail at the recent Cocktails In The City Manchester.
Now his quirky empire is expanding. Next Friday (October 25) he is launching Double Down bar in conjunction with business partner Gavin Wrigley, head of education for the European Bartender School. It’s in the basement underneath The Corner Boy off Hilton Street in the Northern Quarter.
Once known as the Corner Cocktail Club, it’s part of the former Hatter’s Hostel complex that has been transformed by international owners Selina into a mixture of bars and affordable accommodation.
So another speakeasy then? Nathan points out the differences from SIC down on Jackson’s Row. He’s most excited about the latest addition to his plant-based portfolio – the bar’s signature ‘Boojie hot dogs’. “There’s no way you can tell they’re not meat,” he says. “We are making our own sauerkraut to go with them and they are really loaded.”
Nathan’s winning entry at Cocktails In The City gives a clue to which way the Double Down will be going. It consisted of Fair Belize XO, Amaro Montenegro, Smoked Sea Salt Demerara, Cacao bitters anCoral Reef & Smoked Sea salt sealife.
“We’ll be using amaros, agave-based spirits, a good range of tequilas. When we unpacked the bottles the team didn’t recognise 60 to 70 per cent of the spirits there. There’ll definitely be more crowd pleasers in there without sacrificing our innovation. Speak In Code was all about bespoke cocktail using unusual ingredients. This will be less so.
“The atmosphere too will be more modern, the decor a bit New York graffiti with 90s hip hop to match, whereas SpeakIn Code had a more antique feel. We aim to bridge the gap with the cool and casual NQ culture.”
