Wintry pop-up bar Hibernate is newly evolved from summery In Bloom creating the perfect Scandinavian-inspired place to cosy up and snuggle down this Christmas.
Owned by Managing Director of Fluid Bars, James Wrigley, the décor captures the essence of Christmas with roaring open fires, log seating, twinkling lights and rustic seasonal ornaments.
The decorations may transport you to into a traditional festive wonderland but the drinks on offer keep the bar bang up to date.
James, who also runs Dock Bar at MediaCity, described the pop up venue as ‘something unique’ with the drinks menu reflecting the bar’s own twists on classics.
Staff are given free reign of the bar and instructed to create their own special cocktails with the best being added to the menu after customer feedback.
The combinations on offer are grouped into three categories including hot (£4.50-£6), fizzy (£7) and signature (£6.50).
First up on offer was the Merry-Politan, the brainchild of manager Tom Keefe, 22, who put his own spin on the well-loved Metropolitan.
Combining Sailor Jerry’s rum with rich Malbec, orange juice, a dash of lime and gingerbread, the cocktail really tingles the taste buds.
As the crushed ice melts and the drinks starts to warm up, the different flavours become more prominent, starting with the initial zingy citrus flavours and finishing with the smooth depth and warmth of the rum.
Tom said: “I wanted to capture the warmth of Christmas, but also add a hit to the taste buds. Customers feedback is always key and they loved it from the off so for me it’s the 2013 ‘It’ drink.”
Customer interaction is a crucial element to the festive atmosphere in the bar, which only opened two months ago.
A delicious MM mocktail, perfect for the driver among your party, the MM Berry-tastic was mixed by Jack Kane, 23, from Glasgow.
He started with a base of strawberries, followed with a lavish dash of vanilla syrup, shaken through with cranberry juice and lime, topped off with refreshing apple juice and a garnish of strawberries.
The result is a subtle combination of berries and a deep warm flavour rippling through from the vanilla, a real bargain at only £3.
“It is crucial that as a member of the bar staff I can make any drink requested, it is really important to have a detailed knowledge of the ingredients I am working with and this has been stressed by James and the managers Tom and Pip.” Jack explained.
Contemporary twists sit alongside unique concoctions like the fizzy crowd-pleaser Strawberry and Gingerbread Bellini.
It is a delightful fruity and festive take on a classic Bellini with fresh strawberries and gingerbread sugar added to Prosecco.
The combination of flavours really complement each other and the bubbles from the fizz ensure that you could easily find yourself drinking another two or three in quick succession!
Other recommendations include the signature Fig Old Fashioned which is slowly prepared with fig liquor for that extra seasonal influence and the LMP (Lemon Meringue Pie) – a taste of Christmas indulgence with a tasty liquor base including vodka and limoncello.
Explaining the concept behind the wintery jewel James, who is originally from the Lake District, said: “We had a very clear vision, like the seasons we wanted to evolve so that is why we had the transitioned from InBloom to Hibernate.”
“There are lots of bars and restaurants in Spinningfields which are very clinical with clean and crisp finishes, we didn’t want this – we wanted to create a shabby chic Christmas gem.”
Hibernate is first and foremost a cocktail bar however James, who started as barman in 2004 at Harvey Nichols, emphasised the importance of using carefully-sourced local ingredients in the simple and rustic dishes that the kitchen serves up.
The menu is limited to homemade chicken stew, chilli which is served with nachos or rice, soup of the day and hot chilli nachos.
However all dishes are excellent value for money at £4.50 – £6 and the home-made chilli was the perfect warm comforting food to accompany the cocktails, and was so popular they ran out several hours before closing time.
If cocktails don’t tickle your fancy then there are a wide range of bottled beers from around the world or the ladies and gents from behind the bar are happy to craft your own personal drink.
With the festive attention that’s gone into the cocktail menu, we found ourselves having no choice but to settle down and hibernate in this wintry wonderland for the night.
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
