Quality steak and huge selection of gin in the spotlight at new Manchester restaurant launch

Eagerly anticipated steak and gin restaurant Alston Bar & Beef Manchester opened its doors last week.

The 160-cover restaurant welcomed more than 200 guests to its launch party to celebrate its menu of premium quality steaks and extensive selection of gins from all over the globe.

Guests were treated to samples from the menu which features cuts of beef from the top one percent of the UK, crab linguine in a bisque sauce and a beetroot and goats cheese risotto.

Alston’s rotational menu of cold-compound gins were also shared with guests including a British Hedgerow Gin, with sloes, haws, rose hips, rowan and blackberries and a Wild Horseradish Gin, with all botanicals foraged from the local area.

Guests were also the first to view an impressive mural installation created by local street artist Irek Jastowicz, better known as Tank Petrol. Taking inspiration from the bar’s selection of 58 gins and the contemporary design of the menu, the mural incorporates many of the botanicals found in the gins and gin-compounds.

In a nod to the locally-sourced honey from Manchester Cathedral which features in one of the bars signature cocktails, honey appears to drip from the ceiling and onto the mural itself in a striking effect.

“I wanted to create a piece of work which showcased the restaurant’s offering from its innovative gins to the beautiful interior design,” said Irek. “I specialise in street art installations and used several of the techniques I use outside, such as spray painting to give the piece a unique finish.

“It was great to meet with the first guests at Alston Bar and Beef and see their reaction to my mural, and the stunning venue. This is sure to be a new firm favourite on the Manchester food and drink scene!”

Watch the creation of the mural…

 “It was absolutely fantastic to get such a warm welcome from the people of Manchester at our launch event,” said general manager, Riki Bennett.

“We have invested a great deal of time, knowledge and effort into our launch and seeing all of this come together on the night was just brilliant!

“Alston prides itself on attention to detail and we made sure this was reflected in our launch night; from the finest cuts of beef, to the perfect serve gin, our knowledgeable staff were there to guide our guest through our exciting offering.”

Alston Bar & Beef is now open in the Corn Exchange. The restaurant is accessed via the Cathedral Street entrance only and bookings are now being taken here.