Lisa Higginson
Put down your ice pick and leave your crampons at home for the North Pole is coming to you! Yes, Manchesterâs coolest bar is back with a festive bang in its new location at Spinningfields. Opening today (Thursday), the temporary watering hole is set to bring a glow to the faces of chilly punters with an array of cockle-warming cocktails and seasonal tipples.
Situated a hop, skip and a jump away from its previous location outside Urbis, the North Pole bar promises to be a more intimate affair this year and will be decked out with aromatic fir trees and wood. On the menu will be the famous Christmas cocktails created by the Northern Quarterâs Cord Bar and The Bay Horse as well as beers, wines, soft drinks and hot chocolates.
Warming creations will include Hot Buttered Rum, a Bacardi-based drink sweetened with butter, nutmeg and vanilla, and the Winter Crumble, which combines Finlandia Vodka with warm caramelised apple juice and cinnamon. The bar has also teamed up with Spinningfields-based Italian eatery Strada to offer a range of festive pizzas, including the Winter Cotto, with Italian ham, olives and mushrooms, and the Spiced Rustica, with Italian sausage, baby artichokes and caramelized onions.
The famous ice rink also opens today beside the North Pole bar, which is the brainchild of contemporary events company Ear to the Ground, and will run until January 3, 2010.
Hardman Boulevard,
Spinningfields,
Manchester,
M3 3AQ