The Alchemist on New York Street, Manchester

On Sunday I had the pleasure of returning to one of my favourite bars in town – The Alchemist on New York Street, Manchester. Famous for its incredible cocktails, delicious food and quirky vibe, it’s definitely the place to take someone if you want a drink or two to remember.

Everything at The Alchemist lives up to it’s name, with a cool chemistry theme and a creative menu. Oh, and of course the drinks are no exception! The bar has an extensive and imaginative cocktail menu with more choices than you would believe. Each are based on molecular mixology, alchemy and craftsmanship, especially the one I went for; The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party (£20.50) is designed for two to share. Presented in an impressive vessel with a lit bunsen burner underneath, it’s a strong cocktail of citrus, elderflower and Kettel One Vodka, which brews in front of your very eyes. Once the alcohol mixture is evaporated to the top of the vessel, the cocktail is infused with the summer fruits in the top section before its ready to pour. Once ready, the cocktail is poured into a measuring cylinder with dry ice creating the most amazing smoky scene! Once cooled down it’s poured into tea cups ready to sip.

And on to the food! We decided to try some items from The Alchemist Manhester’s new winter menu. For starters we shared three small plates; a mixture of Cheese Quesadillas (£6.50), Seeded Falafels (£4.50) and Lemon Chilli Squid (£6.25). Each of these were delicious but our favourites were the Seeded Falafels – honestly and I quote, I said “the best Falafels I’ve ever had” and it’s totally true. Chunky inside with whole chickpeas and served with a sweetcorn puree, these are definitely a stand out to me from the new Winter Menu at The Alchemist on New York Street, Manchester.

The starters got us totally ready for our mains and boy, did we need warming up! Both my boyfriend and I went for a rib eye steak each – hey, we told you we wanted a delicious Sunday lunch – and they were incredible. Served with a choice of fries and the option for a house salad (£3.50, which is totally worth it), these steaks truly set us up for the day. At £15.95 each for a rib eye steak it’s a reasonable price, especially the beautiful quality of the meat which was cooked to each of our likings. They were scrumptious and I can’t wait to go back and have another. Next Sunday, perhaps?

If you are looking for to take someone out for special drinks and a bite to each, definitely consider The Alchemist on New York Street, Manchester. It’s such an unusual venue with friendly and helpful staff, that creates cocktails perfect for making memories.