Schofield’s Bar in Manchester city centre has just been placed at number 59 on this year’s list of the World’s Best Bars. It is the first UK bar outside London or Edinburgh to have been included on this prestigious global list.
The 50 to 100 list features bars spanning 32 different cities from Bogata to Bratislava. Sixteen of the bars featured in the long list are based in Europe. Only four bars are from the UK; Schofield’s Bar (at no.59), followed by London-based Three Sheets (no. 72) Side Hustle (no. 75) and the Donovan Bar (no. 89.)
Schofield’s bar opened in 2021 on the ground floor of the art deco Sunlight House on Little Quay Street (formerly the site of The Old Grapes pub). It is run by bartending brothers Joe and Daniel Schofield and is highly regarded for its classic cocktail menu and impeccable service.
The Schofield siblings went on to open ATOMECA, a self-styled ‘European drinkery and wine shop’ on the ground floor of Deansgate Square, on 21st May 2021 with their friend, wine expert James Brandwood. Recently, they also opened a third city centre cocktail bar, Sterling, which has taken over the basement vault of the Stock Exchange Hotel.
After Schofield’s inclusion on the list was revealed, they issued a statement on social media, saying:
“We are a little lost for words upon hearing the news that we ranked as the 59th Best Bar in the World (The World’s 50 Best Bars List 2022) making us the only bar in England to place in the list outside of London since 2008.
“We’ve said it before and we’ll say it many more times but this is a true testament to the hard work put in by the team on a daily basis. We are proud to call you colleagues and proud to work alongside you.
“After opening during the global pandemic, we never imagined we would receive this sort of recognition and it drives us to be better and do better for you, our guest.
“We are proud to play a small part in the thriving food and drink community in Manchester.
“We look forward to seeing you at the bar soon!”
Schofield’s Bar has won a number of awards since opened. Earlier this year the independent bar was ranked 16 in the UK’s top 50 bars and was also named Bar of the Year and New Bar of the Year at the annual CLASS Bar Awards - the first time a bar has won both categories.
The World’s 50 best cocktail bars has been published annually since 2009and is the result of votes collected from over 650 industry experts from around the world including bartenders, educators, drink writers, consultants and cocktail specialists.
Mark Sansom, Director of Content for The World’s 50 Best Bars, said:
“We are delighted to see so many new cities appear on the extended list for the first time – being able to recognise 32 different global cities out of the available 50 positions is particularly pleasing. All the bars announced today have continued, with outstanding resilience, to overcome the challenges that still face the industry, and it gives us great pleasure to celebrate double the number of establishments and their achievements.”
This announcement precedes the announcement of the Top 50 bars around the world rankings, which will be revealed at an awards ceremony in Barcelona on Tuesday 4 October.
Schofield’s Bar, Sunlight House, 3 Little Quay Street, Manchester, M3 3JZ
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