Speak In Code

If you go out in Manchester and enjoy a well-crafted cocktail you’ll almost certainly have heard of Speak In Code. Despite its best efforts, this hidden-away bar has a solid reputation as one of the city’s best bars, and for good reason.

The staff are a joy. Confident and chatty but never overbearing, with a seemingly psychic intuition as to what exact concoction will suit your mood and palate. As with all good bars, the menu changes in line with the season, but on my visit, I slurped down multiple euphoric potions, including an unforgettable blend of rum, coconut milk, pandan, turmeric, vanilla and more. 

Keen-eyed readers will notice that’s a fully-vegan list of ingredients, and indeed, Speak In Code is a proudly plant-based bar. In their own words, they try to create a closed-loop drinks and food program based on reduce, reuse and recycle. In short, as little waste as possible.

In the unlikely event that nothing on the menu takes your fancy, the staff will eagerly take that challenge. Name a few ingredients – hell, even name a ‘vibe’ – and let them flex their creative muscles. 

Everything about it says timeless, from the solid brick walls to the low-key soundtrack. It’s not a party venue in the Ibiza sense, more a kick-back-and-see-what-the-night-brings type place, frequented by people who value quality over razzle-dazzle.

It’s the kind of place that treats cocktail-making as an artform while managing to keep things light and fun. While some of the city’s more austere bars have a weirdly colonial feel (no tweed waistcoats and twiddly moustaches here, thankfully), Speak In Code is all about the pursuit of pleasure via meticulous mixing.