Medicine Tap celebrates first birthday by unlocking new cocktail bar

Date published: 26 March 2019

To mark the first birthday of The Medicine Tap in Rochdale town centre, the owners have been quietly working on a stunning new cocktail bar to be opened by the staff on Saturday 30 March – and you're invited.

Aptly named ‘The Vault’ due to its collection of antique safes, the cocktail bar is quite unique in its style whilst maintaining the same vintage and industrial design of The Medicine Tap.

The new room – which is accessed through the main entrance and then to the right of the main room – has gone through an incredible transformation. Once an empty bland office, filled with plasterboard, a suspended boarded ceiling and a huge glass window that covered the rear wall, great quality and design now echoes throughout the room, with the arched window providing a perfect view of the majestic Rochdale Town Hall. 

Owner John Stoner said: “This room was quite soulless before: we’ve given it life! We’ve laid down the same slate flooring to make The Vault Bar a continuation of The Medicine Tap and created a low ceiling alcove to make it a cosy, intimate area for diners and added the same claret leather seating to give it a relaxed ambience.”

Combining vision and skill, John and Ian Smith, of Dale Property Solutions, have worked together on this project since January – and the finished room does not disappoint.

From the radiator taps to the vintage lights and quirky poser table made of safes, no detail has been overlooked. The bespoke bar made from solid oak and finished with black metro tiles truly is the main focal point, encasing a safe within the centre.

John said: “We were hopeful the safe within a bar would enhance the room and I think it does. It’s been great to have a blank canvas to work on.  I just hope our customers love The Vault as much as we’ve enjoyed creating it.”

Co-owner Caroline Norton said: “We wanted to create an exciting space that primarily will be used as a cocktail bar, but we hope customers will want to book it for birthdays, small gatherings, business events, even weddings. We’ve actually got a few baby showers that are booked in already.”

The Medicine Tap is a brewpub, coffeehouse, grill house and bar located within one of the Esplanade’s finest buildings, the Grade-II listed former Post Office which was built in 1923.

Undergoing a £300,000 restoration, The Medicine Tap has received a great response from the public over the past year. The renovation of this beautiful Baroque-style building has allowed the public to enjoy this architectural gem and the pressure was on to ensure The Vault was tastefully designed and in-keeping with The Medicine Tap’s style and beauty.

The grand opening of The Vault Bar will be unlocked by The Tap Team at 6pm on Saturday 30 March 2019. 

Birthday cupcakes will be available throughout the day and a DJ singer will playing throughout the night to celebrate The Medicine Tap’s first birthday.

Check out the rennovation for yourself: The Vault Bar will be open Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, serving cocktails and a small selection of ales and spirits.

For information requiring hiring out The Vault Bar for business events or private functions, please contact The Medicine Tap on 01706 869828.

Website: www.themedicinetap.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/themedicinetap