SEAN Finnegan’s CV is a random roll call of cutting edge bars. From the legendary Mash & Air to Red’s True Barbecue and El Capo in Manchester via the likes of Platinum and Baby Blue in Liverpool, the genial Irishman, these days accompanied by the bushiest of beards, has mixed it with the best.
So ToM has high hopes for his latest project, Roc & Rye, a 150-capacity craft coffee and cocktail bar with patisserie he is launching – subject to planning approval – inside 60 Spring Gardens, the Grade II listed former warehouse designed by Manchester Town Hall architect Alfred Waterhouse, close to the Hotel Gotham.
It’s early stages. The licence application is in consultation until September 21, but Finnegan is enthusiastic. He told Manchester Confidential: “I’ve been cherry-picking ideas from the global cocktail scene for some time now, the revolution in bar spirits and the growing appreciation for craft coffee, all with an eye on this opening. Rye will clearly be a focus, with a strong whiskey offering, coupled with great coffee, but we’re also going to offer a platform for local bakers and chocolatiers with a strong emphasis on provenance.”
His partners in Roc & Rye are Maz Haydon and Matthew Bonner and the pledge is to accentuate the architectural glories of the 1880s interior, which was refurbed in the 1980s.
