The burgeoning trophy cabinet at the Cocktail Bar in Belfast’s famous Merchant Hotel welcomed its latest accolade this month.
At the tail end of 2024, The Merchant Cocktail Bar became one of only 20 in the world to be added to a prestigious list of top cocktail bars. Rated ‘outstanding’, the Cocktail Bar is first and only bar in Northern Ireland to be awarded a coveted ‘2 pin’ status by the Pinnacle Guide, described as the ‘Michelin guide for bars’
The Merchant Cocktail Bar can now display its pinned status for two years – until October 2026 – with a bespoke plaque on display, and lapel pins for the team to wear as a symbol of the accolade.
Launched earlier this year by the founders of London Cocktail Week, the Pinnacle aims to promote the best cocktail venues across the world and highlighting those that are ‘leading cocktail culture in their communities.’
Using a categorisation system known as ‘pins’, the Pinnacle Guide rates and ranks the cocktail bars lucky enough to have made the list using a strict set of criteria.
Venues awarded ‘one pin’ receive an ‘excellent rating’, ‘two pins’ means ‘outstanding’ and the maximum ‘three pins’ is presented to venues deemed ‘exceptional’ by contest judges.
This is the second Pinnacle Guide nod for Northern Ireland’s leading hospitality group Beannchor, as Rattlebag, the cocktail bar located within Belfast’s Bullitt hotel, was awarded an ‘excellent’ rating or ‘1 pin’ status in the inaugural Pinnacle Guide announcement earlier this year.
The presentation of the award follows the high-profile launch of the new Merchant Cocktail menu in February. The new menu features 24 drinks, a core collection of 21 drinks, named after their distinct flavour profile, highlight The Merchant’s commitment to innovation and include two drinks based on award-winning creations by Cocktail Bar manager, Emily Doherty.
The menu also includes a trio of exclusive cocktails crafted with three icons of the whiskey world – Midleton, Macallan, and Michter’s. Starting from £785 and going right up to £1,000, the exquisite Rare & Refined Collection will be the most expensive cocktails ever served at The Merchant Hotel; exceeding the famous £750 Mai Tai, that gained The Merchant a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the world’s most expensive cocktail back in 2007 and once again demonstrating The Merchant’s boundary-pushing ethos, which continues to earn the hotel international acclaim.
This week, The Merchant Cocktail Bar hosts it latest sold-out takeover event, with Pippa Guy, author of Let’s Get Fizzical in celebration of Internation Women’s Day. Pippa will share her inspiring journey from her first bar job in Leeds to making history as the first female Senior Bartender at The American Bar, The Savoy, in over a century in a special invi
For further information, visit www.themerchanthotel.com