IT’S a tough job but somebody has to do it. Judges from drinks trade bible Imbibe spent a long Soho afternoon trawling through 150 entries to find the finalists for 2019’s Drinks List of the Year competition. And guess what? Two of Manchester’s most creative bars feature in the shortlists for the awards to be announced on October 21.
Nominated for ‘Avant garde drinks list of the year’ are Northern Quarter bars Cottonopolis and Wilderness Bar + Kitchen (helmed respectively by Gethin Jones and Adam Day, pictured above).
Drinks writer Clinton Cawood commented: “This shortlist consists of a number of bars that are pushing the boundaries around the country, and their lists reflect that. There were some visionary menus here, where concept, content and execution all came together.’’
It seems that northern cities ahead of the game with a 50 per cent representation in this category. ToM is a big fan of Below Stairs in Leeds, run by two brothers from Buxton.
In contrast London dominates ‘Classic Drinks List of the Year but the North West is prominent again in the ‘Group Drinks List of the Year’ section through The Liars Club and New World Trading Company (Botanist, Oast House).
Follow @imbibeuk and #DLOTY19 on Twitter and Instagram to find out who comes top in the various categories.