Thaw out with hot cocktails at The North Pole

North Pole

By Rachel Esson | Fri, 18 December, 2009

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The North Pole
Spinningfields, city centre
December 2009

(Temporary bar)

Overall: 4/5

Festive frivolity is rife in central Manchester this week and nowhere more so than wintry retreat The North Pole.

Last year the pop up bar appeared in a tipi outside Urbis, but this season it’s housed in a marquee just a short sledge ride away in Spinningfields, looking over the ice rink on Hardman Boulevard.

Produced by renowned events agency Ear To The Ground and managed by the people behind Bay Horse, Cord and Soup Kitchen, the bar’s concept remains the same – a seasonal theme bar/music space with the ambience of an alpine après ski bar and style akin to a Canadian lodge.

Seasonal spirits

The other-worldly vibe is embellished with wood chippings under your feet, snowflake projections, reindeer antlers and Christmas tree branches adorning ice-white walls.

If you’re flaking after a chilly stomp round the Christmas markets, The North Pole is a great spot to raise seasonal spirits and thaw out with a warm drink next to the faux fires. Hot cocktails (£4.50) include Mulled Wine and Hot Buttered Rum, which are complemented with festive pizzas (£7.95), by Strada.

Circle Club is also debuting pop up bar Lodge At The Circle, which has opened opposite the club in Barton Arcade with a hunting lodge theme.

It serves festive tipples, tasty stews and yuletide desserts. Catch them before they close in the new year. Both open from 11am (The North Pole closes at 11pm and the Lodge an hour later).

The North Pole, Hardman Boulevard, Spinningfields, Manchester, M3 3AQ (0161 237 9786).

CityLife Rating:

Currently 4.0000/5

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Comments (1)

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Neil Sowerby wrote on the 06/11/08 at 09:53…

IT'S been obvious to anyone with an eye for the impressive, the inspiring or just with a nose for a damn good party that the Pavilion which has been nestling in the shadow of Urbis for most of the year is a space that’s just begging to be taken over. And it’s to Ear To The Ground’s credit that they’ve seized the mantle and put the giant tent to good use. The concept? Well, in essence it’s the much-loved Canteena in its winter woollies. A temporary, themed bar/music space - only this time instead of being military-themed and hot and sunny it’s a faux-winter wonderland, all white and icy blue. Impressive job The Castlefield institution’s windswept, icy younger sibling if you will. In the manner of whatever the polar (sorry) opposite of a desert oasis is on entrance, they’ve done an impressive job. A long wooden walkway flanked with picnic-style benching and pine trees leads you up to the space itself, making you feel like you’re entering the realm of the Ice Queen. If the Ice Queen lived in central Manchester and wore clothes from the Northern Quarter that is. Inside, among the fairy lights and projected snowflakes, it’s more of the same: dominated by the ‘north pole’ itself in the middle of a huge circular lighting rig festooned with inverted Christmas trees (which we’re hoping isn’t some form of Norwegian Satanist symbol) plus signs to major cities which – though we’re not sure if they’re factually accurate – are sure to be useful for the frozen traveller. As are the wooden benches around the perimeter. Winter-themed cocktails At the antler-covered bar, the drinks offer feels pretty solid for a pop up drinking hole. As well as the Guinness (extra cold, of course), Carlsberg and Grolsch on tap there are a range of winter-themed cocktails: a Jack Daniels, honey, lemon and clove Whiskey Toddy and a Vodka, caramelised apple juice and cinnamon Winter Crumble being highlights. And the food menu – all meaty stews and broths – demonstrates the same substance and flair. Paradoxical warmth So far, so festive… so familiar? Well, kind of. The theme, drinks and general vibe are ringing a (jingle) bell: reminding CityLife firmly of the Christmas markets. Feeling cold after a day pottering round the stalls? Move into the paradoxical warmth of the North Pole, on to the cocktails and thaw the chill by cutting some rug. Organisers promise a laid-back mix of tunes, one-off DJ performances and club nights. And get there soon: it’ll all be gone come New Year’s Day. THE North Pole Winter Warmer: Festive drinks get a modern Mancunian spin at the North Pole thanks to the creative talents of Northern Quarter bar manager Adam Binnersley, who’s been drafted in to run the bar. Hence the mulled wine sweetened with Vimto, and the delicious Winter Warmer: the sweetness of caramelised apple juice combining beautifully with distinctly Christmassy cinnamon and vodka, in this case Finlandia (who’re sponsoring the outlet). Our top tip? For a tasty variation, try making this with bison grass vodka Zubrowka, that’s flavour profile is the perfect complement to apple.