Schofield's Bar

Schofield's Bar opened in 2021 as the homecoming of bartender brothers Joe and Daniel Schofield, who — in the bar's own words, with 'almost 40 years of combined experience' between them — returned to their native Manchester to open an eponymous venue after building their names in celebrated bars elsewhere. It graces the corner of Sunlight House, the art deco tower designed by architect Joseph Sunlight that was the tallest building in Manchester when it was completed in the 1930s: the decade of grand, luxurious cocktail bars whose spirit the room deliberately channels. In just a few years it has become widely regarded as one of the UK's most decorated cocktail bars, listed in The World's 50 Best Bars' Discovery guide and a fixture of Manchester's 'best bar' round-ups.

The bar is a handsome wood-and-brass corner room, cash-free and open from noon, that works as easily for an afternoon coffee as for a late-night martini (it serves until 1.30am). The drinks list — titled 'Fine & Classic Cocktails, Celebrated Libations & Other Fancy Drinks' — runs from immaculate classics (a Clover Club built on the brothers' own award-winning Schofield's Dry Vermouth, made in collaboration with Asterley Bros.) through an encyclopaedic spirits library to a shelf of books paired with cocktail 'companions'. Alongside the drinks there is a short food menu of British cheese and charcuterie, Nocellara olives and popcorn, plus an illy tea and coffee service until 9pm.

Crucially for non-drinkers, the menu carries a dedicated 'Temperance' section — 'a selection of carefully curated tipples prepared with the same love, care and affection as our cocktails' — built as proper zero-proof cocktails rather than mocktails on request. On the current summer 2026 list, four serves are poured at £8.95 each: the Dove, a floral, pale-pink mix of rose, pink grapefruit soda and lime; El Ranchero, a spiced orchard-fruit build of apple, nutmeg, lemon, vanilla, almond and soda; Fortuna, a tart long drink of cranberry, ginger, raspberry, grenadine and lime; and a from-scratch Virgin Mary of tomato, Worcestershire sauce, house spice mix, celery and lemon. The section rotates with the seasons — earlier 2026 editions featured a Club Tropicana (pineapple and passionfruit with a hint of Earl Grey) and a Frosty Toddy (honey, ginger and lemon) — and it sits alongside a genuinely useful low- and no-alcohol back bar: Lucky Saint 0.5% unfiltered lager, homemade ginger beer and lemonade, and a range of Fentimans elderflower, ginger ale and tonics. It adds up to a serious alcohol-free offering inside one of the country's most respected cocktail rooms.