Sterling Bar

Sterling opened in September 2022 on the lower ground floor of the Stock Exchange Hotel, tucked inside the old bank vault of the former Manchester Stock Exchange on Norfolk Street. It is the third venue from bartender brothers Joe and Daniel Schofield — the team behind the multi-award-winning Schofield's Bar in Sunlight House and the Atomeca wine bars — who opened it with wine specialist James Brandwood. The Schofields honed their craft at rooms such as the American Bar at the Savoy, Singapore's Tippling Club and Little Red Door in Paris, and Schofield's Bar took Best New Bar at the 2022 Class Bar Awards; Sterling was conceived as a larger, more glamorous companion piece, its name nodding both to the building's financial history and to a benchmark of quality.

The room is far bigger than the city's typical intimate cocktail dens, seating just over 100 across a bespoke, wood-panelled interior that plays up the history and glamour of the old exchange. A roaring-twenties theme runs through the space, with live music from 8pm on Friday and Saturday nights, an award-winning wine list and bar snacks originally developed by two-Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge's events company, Lush Hospitality — oysters, croquettes with aged Manchego, salt-and-pepper squid and the like. It is an adults-only, cash-free venue, open Tuesday to Saturday, with an optional 12.5% service charge added to the bill.

For non-drinkers, Sterling keeps a dedicated 'Temperance' section on its drinks list rather than treating alcohol-free as an afterthought. Four zero-proof cocktails are built to order: Blush pairs raspberry and rose with ginger, lime and soda (£9); Salsa is a bright, savoury mix of lime, red chilli and pineapple (£9); the Virgin Mary is made from scratch with tomato, Worcestershire sauce, a house spice mix, celery and lemon (£9); and the Wild Earth is the most cocktail-like of the four, building Seedlip Spice 0.0% with honey, lemon and tea (£12). Beyond the Temperance list, Corona Cero 0.0% is stocked by the bottle (£5) and Seedlip Spice 0.0% is offered as a standalone £9 aperitif serve, so the alcohol-free options carry the same considered, made-to-order approach as the rest of the bar.