Cord Bar, Northern Quarter, 8 Dorsey Street, Manchester M4 1LU
Cord's new, stripped back look
Not ones to miss out on something new, last Friday's after work drinks were brought to the Designmynight.com Manchester team by the ever developing Cord Bar. With the once dark and desolate drinks booths levelled and replaced by natural light and beer barrel tables, the whole atmosphere of the popular Northern Quarter bar is changing - and it’s a welcome one. A new layout for the upper level of Cord brings a refreshing transformation from the pre and post Sankeys party bar of old, and as is the case with a lot of bars and clubs, subtle and well thought out modifications make a massive difference.
With the light, laid back new lay out being aesthetically pleasing, the bar needed carefully selected tunes to bring the whole vibe together. And that’s exactly what we got. With a vinyl only DJ perched atop the bar and the new cocktails flowing, plus a few freebies from the fine guys at Old Jays Spiced Rum our after work drink had taken a turn for the plural and we were now picking off cocktails left right and centre.
The after work crowd was making the most of it and were soon joined by the first of the Friday night revellers who after hearing the house music beats drift down Tibb Street had come to check what all the fuss was about. This is the new Cord Bar and is very much a trend the people will need to get used to. The continuing development by Sam Janes is something that should be exciting the regulars at Cord. With the upstairs being the light and now spaciously enjoyable space it is, downstairs at Cord was always a notoriously difficult place to give life to. With a little careful planning, and some much needed touch ups here and there the downstairs should begin making its transformation form dance floor playground to up market soiree with sofas and low level tables and decor replacing the old stomping grounds for the Sankeys kids.
The drinks selection has changed to suit the new look bar. The old draught lagers have been removed and more premium beers available, there's a brand new and original cocktail list with outlandish names such as the George Michael and the Dale Winton, and a top selection of wine and spirits. It seems Cord has made sure it's matching the effortlessly charming decor with effortlessly delicious drinks. Cord Bar has made some subtle and important changes to bring the people of Manchester a brand new vibe in the heart of Northern Quarter. The vision is still to be fully completed, but if the small changes that have taken place are anything to go by then the future for Cord and it's punters is looking sweet.
