New cocktail bar planned in Alnwick

Local entrepreneur Amanda Wooldridge is in the process of buying the Narrowgate property which, until recently, was home to Thai Vibe.

She said: “I’m going to turn the upper floor into a three bedroom holiday let and I was initially going to rent out the ground floor space but then I started thinking that there is a market for a more feminine bar in Alnwick.

"There is Harry’s bar which appears to be doing quite well and there’s the Dirty Bottles just along the road but there are quite a few ‘old men’s pubs’ and I thought this could offer something different.”

She continued: “I don’t like to have regrets in life and I didn’t want to see someone else give my idea a go so I’m going to give it a whirl and see how it goes.

"The aim is to get it up and running before Christmas to take advantage of the festive market.

"We know trade will fall off a cliff between January and March until more visitors start to come back in the spring.

"There isn’t that much needs to be done to the building to get it ready; it’s mainly cosmetic work.”

The venue will offer local beers and gins, as well as the usual range of cocktails.

There will be no food menu but charcuterie boards are envisaged – and perhaps a piano for some musical entertainment.

"I want to attract the female market that I’m sure is out there,” said Amanda. “There are a lot of younger ones staying at home longer than they might have done in the past and, after the past couple of years, I think a lot of people see going out and socialising as a real priority.”

It is expected that it will be open only on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays depending on demand.

She is undecided on its name at the moment.

"I’ve toyed with 1803 which is the year of the first historical reference to a cocktail but I’m not set on that yet,” said Amanda.