Looking to bring an authentic taste of Ireland to Manchester, craft coffee and cocktail bar ‘Roc & Rye’ is set to officially open it’s doors at the beginning of July.
Situated in a landmark Grade II listed building in Spring Gardens at the end of King Street, Roc & Rye is the first stand alone bar from bartender Sean Finnegan – formerly of El Capo, Kosmonaut and Mash & Air – alongside partners Maritza Haydon and Matt Bonner.
Designed by Manchester town hall architect Alfred Waterhouse, the new venue has taken inspiration from the architectural glories of the original 1880s interior, with authentic design features such as the fantastic reclaimed 1920’s oak dance floor.
Now to the important bits – the drinks and food! The cocktail menu has been entitled ‘Hard Shakes and Heart Breaks’; giving a romantic angle based on the five stages of a relationship: Infatuation, Tumult, Rediscovery, Devotion & Rapture.
Roc & Rye’s signature cocktail ‘Lost at Sea’ will combine Cooper’s Croze Jameson Whiskey, with avant-garde drink making techniques. The intricate concoction features a cherry and grapefruit shrub, made by fermenting grapefruit and black Italian cherries with a sherry-based vinegar.
This is then blended with a classic cherry liqueur, smoky Mezcal and sweet vermouth. The cocktail will be barrel aged using staves from the Midleton Distillery in Cork (home of Jameson whiskey) and presented in a whiskey bottle embellished with a 3D printed ship from the Jameson coat of arms.
Alongside its range of inventive cocktails, the bar will appeal to Manchester’s daytime workers with the offer of workspaces and some of the best speciality coffees by Origin, ranging from mainstay espresso blends to regularly rotating single origin filter coffees.
For those in need of a stronger caffeine dose, the bar’s ‘Nitro’ coffee will be the perfect pick-me-up. This nitrogen infused chilled brew coffee has a rich, creamy head and will be served cold and on draft throughout the day.
With an ever-changing selection of artisan products from producers based in and around Manchester, the food should also be worth the wait. Showcasing the excellence of regional food manufacturers, discerning diners will be able to feast on homemade breads, bagels and chutneys from Trove, macarons and cakes from acclaimed patisserie Bisous-Bisous of Wilmslow Road, speciality cheeses from Didsbury’s The Cheese Hamlet, pork pies and scotch eggs from Beehive Food of Deansgate and a ‘bean to bar’ range of handcrafted chocolate bars and truffles from master chocolatiers Dormouse.
Roc & Rye will be open 7 days a week and is due to open on Thursday 6th July.
