February doesn’t always scream glamour. It’s usually more sideways rain and lost gloves than red carpets and flashbulbs. But this year is different. For the first time in its five-decade history, the The BRIT Awards lands in Manchester – and Hennessy is bringing the afterparty energy with it.
As Official Cognac Partner, Hennessy isn’t just sticking its logo on a step-and-repeat and calling it a day. Instead, it’s spilling out into the city – taking over bars, hotels and late-night spots with bespoke cocktails, live music and DJ sets throughout the rest of February. If you didn’t manage to bag a seat at the ceremony at Co-op Live, this is your way in.
Leading the charge is Mollie’s Hotel & Diner, where Studio IV has transformed into a speakeasy-style hub until Monday 9 March. Expect live house bands working through Britpop classics in the run-up to the ceremony, alongside Hennessy cocktails designed specifically for the occasion. It’s part nostalgia trip, part proper night out.
Over at Off The Square, the focus shifts firmly to the dancefloor. The Northern Quarter spot is pouring a Henny-Rita – Hennessy’s cognac twist on a Margarita — alongside a punchy Henny & Ginger. Add a headline DJ set from BRIT nominee DJ Pied Piper alongside DJ Silk on Saturday 28 February and you’ve got a proper Saturday night sorted.
Elsewhere, the celebrations scatter right across the city.
At Dusk Till Pawn, the menu features The Masterplan – Hennessy VS, ginger liqueur, lemon, foaming bitters and soda – and the brilliantly titled Sip Me Baby One More Time, combining pear brandy, Montenegro, cacao, chilli and bitters with Hennessy VS.
Hotel Gotham is doing what it does best – polished, late-night glamour with BRITs-themed live music on Thursday 26 February and a trio of Hennessy-led cocktails. The Grand Cognac Tea blends Hennessy VS with Grand Marnier, Earl Grey, sugar and lemon; Vows pairs Hennessy VS with Cointreau, citrus and orange bitters; and there’s even an XpressO Martini built with Hennessy XO for those who like their caffeine hit with a bit more ceremony.
At Speak In Code, the exclusive serve is Chapter 16 – Hennessy VS with quince wine, dandelion and pear – a little left-field, very on-brand for the space.
Wood & Co is leaning fully into the theatrics with two cocktails: French Kissing in the UK (Hennessy VS, orange liqueur, pear brandy, lemon and a cinnamon sugar rim) and Bars and Bars – a layered mix of Hennessy VS, rye whiskey, raspberry liqueur, Calvados, lemon and Peychaud’s bitters. Expect those alongside a BRITs-themed DJ on Saturday 21 February.
If your idea of celebration leans more chaotic-in-a-good-way, Bunny Jacksons and Bunny’s Karaoke are hosting BRITs-themed karaoke on Friday 27 February. The Henny Rita makes another appearance here, alongside a creamy Hennessy Alexander (Hennessy VS, cream and chocolate) and a frozen serve dubbed the Frozen Freddo – which, we’re told, tastes exactly like the chocolate bar.
Over at Stray, things get a bit more experimental. The Lacto Blueberry Champagne Cocktail mixes lacto blueberry liqueur, Hennessy VS, sugar and Bollinger, while the Dirty Fuselage blends Hennessy VS with Cointreau, Dolin Dry Vermouth and Perello olive brine. There’s also a Hennessy-led Sazerac and a Nectarine Champs Elysée featuring Cloudwater’s nectarine foudre and Green Chartreuse.
But the biggest moment there lands on Monday 23 February. For one night only, Stray teams up with A-kin for A Supper by Candlelight — an intimate, 50-seat takeover inside the main hall at Mackie Mayor (usually closed on Mondays, so you’ll have the dramatic space to yourself).
The five-course tasting menu, curated by the A-kin supper club series, pulls inspiration from different communities that have shaped modern Britain. Expect beetroot-cured salmon with sauerkraut and pickled mustard seeds; fuul madamas with milk bread; and a saltfish Scotch egg with Hennessy plantain and Scotch bonnet ketchup. The main course pairs roasted duck with an orange Hennessy sauce, fried morning glory and chicken fat rice, before horchata ice cream with macerated strawberries rounds things off. Vegetarian and vegan alternatives run throughout.
Drinks come courtesy of Stray in collaboration with Hennessy, and the soundtrack is curated by Sham Steele — part supper club, part mood-setter for the week ahead. Tickets are £65 per person including all five courses and a welcome glass, with capacity capped at just 50 guests.
At Federico, the month-long collab with Moët lands as Here’s To Spring – Hennessy VS, Moët cordial, gin, lemon and Maldon salt – a slightly brighter, sharper take for the Italian wine bar setting.
And at Bar Shrimp, it’s all about the Hennessy Highball – Hennessy VS lengthened with Verjus du Périgord – served alongside BRITs-inspired DJ sets in the run-up to the ceremony.
A couple more stops worth noting: Public is shaking up a Hennessy Espresso Martini alongside an Apple Old Fashioned stirred down with apple-infused brown sugar and juice, while Wings is pouring tea-led serves like Tōdō (Hennessy VSOP, Chinese black tea, salted butter and orange) and Oolong Rouge with Iron Buddha oolong and raspberry.
Beyond the individual venues, there’s a bigger narrative at play. Manchester has always shaped British music culture – from the Haçienda era and Factory Records through to today’s independent scenes – and the BRITs’ arrival here feels overdue. Hennessy’s long-standing relationship with music, from jazz and hip-hop through to current global tours, makes this partnership feel like a natural fit.
The main ceremony takes place on Saturday 28 February, hosted by Jack Whitehall and broadcast live on ITV1 and ITVX. But in reality, the city-wide programme is where most of us will experience it: in crowded bars, on sticky dancefloors, or perched at a table nursing a carefully built cocktail.
So no, you might not be walking a red carpet. But you can still raise a glass to Manchester hosting the biggest night in British music — and do it somewhere that feels very much like home.
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Cocktails
