Sexy Fish - This Award-Winning Bar is a surprising haven for Non-Drinkers

Bar at Sexy Fish Manchester. Image - Deanna Thomas

High end bars and restaurants can be in danger of getting so lost inside a new concept that by the time it’s ready to be launched, their description becomes more than a little complicated.

 See what you think…

“Sexy Fish, globally renowned destination for innovative cocktails and Japanese-inspired cuisine, unveils the final instalment of its cocktail series with the arrival of ‘UNITY’, set to launch in London, Miami and Manchester restaurants on Friday 17 May.” 

Ok. They are launching a new cocktail menu. We know what it’s called, where and when.

“Following the hugely successful launch of the brand’s TRINITY cocktail menu in 2023 and SYNERGY in 2022, UNITY marks a new chapter for Sexy Fish. The new cocktail menu sees a departure from traditional cocktail offerings, instead pushing boundaries and embracing global drinking trends.”

Sexy Fish launch a new drinks menu every year, and they put a lot of energy into perfecting it … but as for the last bit, don’t all good bars tick those boxes?

“A groundbreaking approach to modern mixology and drinking - UNITY is led by its definition as ‘the state of being united or joined as a whole’, where alcohol content is considered and the guest experience amplified.”

They’re focussed on creating cohesive and enjoyable drinks from various premium ingredients…wait…and the level of alcohol level is an important factor? That’s interesting. The new drinks menu introduces 12 new cocktails, each with a carefully developed non-alcoholic counterpart, or you could request a lower alcohol alternative.

Look, I love a drink. I love the whole science and craft behind the flavours. I love learning about process, ingredients and interesting new spirits. What I don’t like is waking up in the middle of the night dehydrated. I don’t like walking around like a ruddy cheeked beetroot-head (despite careful contouring and make-up application), I don’t like having drunk guilt for things I *might* have said, and I don’t like being incapacitated with a two-day hangover.

Non-alcohol Watermelon cocktail at Sexy Fish, Manchester. Image - Deanna Thomas

So UNITY is the drink equivalent of enjoying the music but being able to ask if they can turn it down a notch.

And before you baulk at paying cocktail prices for a soft drink, the non-alcoholic versions are cheaper and have been equally as carefully crafted and presented, so you’re definitely getting a drink drink.

Back to the release.

“A cocktail menu for the modern age, UNITY features 12 core serves based on 12 core flavour profiles: each available as alcoholic and alcohol-free iterations. With 24 cocktails in total, guests need only choose their desired key flavour and base alcohol level, and UNITY delivers a personalised, inclusive and mindful drinking experience for all.” 

Sexy Fish in Spinningfields, Manchester. Credit - Deanna Thomas

It was time to discover this for myself.

The flamboyant Sexy Fish opened in Manchester in October 2023, occupying the former Armani store on the Deansgate side of Spinningfields. The original launched in London almost a decade ago, followed by Miami in 2022. An opening in Dubai is scheduled for October 2024.

Why open in Manchester? The decision followed the success of its sibling venue The Ivy (also owned by Richard Caring's Caprice Holdings) which opened nearby at the end of 2018. (An insider told me it raked in an incredible £250,000 in one night last New Year’s Eve, so it’s definitely a hit.)

Giant Damien Hurst sculpture at Sexy Fish, Manchester. Credit - Deanna Thomas

Sexy Fish Manchester remains faultlessly devoted to its marine-theme though every detail of the lavish interior. Staff wear ornately decorated silky jackets in pink for bar staff and orange for floor staff. Three huge sea creature sculptures by artist Damien Hirst hover high over the restaurant, there are fish lamps, and a paper shoal floating above the glowing pink curved glass bar by architect Frank Gehry, starfish-shaped taps in the fabulously OTT bathroom and even the chopstick rests are tiny golden carp.

UNITY drinks menu, Sexy Fish. Credit - Deanna Thomas

Drinks are listed in a beautifully bound hardback book. Each cocktail is illustrated with an image, so you get the idea of its size and presentation, as well as a list of ingredients. If you don’t have the time to plough through it (because you know, this is a social occasion, not a book club) drinks are all pictured together in the middle double page.

Turn the book over and all the non-alcohol cocktails are listed in mirror image. You won’t find the word ‘mocktail’ anywhere. These are as far from the usual, overly sweet token gestures you might find in other bars. An incredible level of detail has gone into the non-alcoholic offering which features all manner of house-made tinctures and infusions. Things have certainly come on since the only option for the designated driver was a pint of Diet Coke or a shandy.

‘Strawberry’ by Sexy Fish. Credit - Deanna Thomas

Drinks are named after their hero flavour: Strawberry, Honey, Grapefruit, Sugar Snap Pea etc. The non-alcoholic Watermelon (£7) is flavoured with lemon, chilli and black olive, and rosemary tonic. The alcoholic equivalent comes in at a heftier £18 and features watermelon rind infused Ocho Blanco tequila, dry vermouth, and basil.

The cocktails have also been designed with the food menu in mind. The slightly carbonated ‘Strawberry’ was served with signature starters including tempura mushrooms, sushi and crispy duck salad. Its Toki whisky base was dominant but rounded by the delicate flavours of fresh strawberry and anise.  

Grapefruit Cocktail, Sexy Fish, Manchester. Credit - Deanna Thomas

Three boozy cocktails in and I felt myself starting to babble. It was time to make the seamless switch to sobriety. The non-alcohol Cacao (Everleaf marine, Cacao dark chocolate, vanilla, merlot grape juice and bitters - £10) was served in a chilled coup, a much more elegant presentation than the boozy version (£14) made with cacao butter and dark chocolate infused Absolut elyx vodka, sauternes, kina, lillet and lemon which came in an earthenware cup. (They also offer a low ABV version made with Haky vodka - £13.) I’d highly recommend this one. Complex and balanced, capturing the essential botanical qualities of the cocoa bean rather than its sweet indulgence.

Elegant, chocolatey and booze-less Cacao, Sexy Fish. Credit - Deanna Thomas

If you’re the sort of person who loves to dress up and visit glamorous restaurants and bars but doesn’t want to pay for it with the effects of a dark hangover the next day, head over to Sexy Fish and work your way through their new UNITY drinks menu. If you alternate between boozy and non-alcoholic, you could even go on a school night…

Sexy Fish Manchester was recently named in the inaugural Pinnacle Guide 2024 with 37 other bars around the world selected, including Sexy Fish London. The venue was awarded one ‘pin’ after an 18-month consultation process.