Bolton Bar Cocktail Inspired by Viral Social Media Video

Every week we like to highlight some of the best local spots the borough has to offer, in our Pub of the Week feature.

This week we spoke with Ellie Sutcliffe, the 25-year-old owner of The Northern Way, located on Nelson Square.

In recent weeks, the bar decided to jump on the buzz bandwagon by launching the “Hawk Tuah” cocktail, named after a video that went viral on social media.

Owner Ellie said: “Social media is a small thing, isn’t it? I woke up one morning and Hawk Tuah’s daughter was all over the internet, wasn’t she?

“To be honest, I posted it as a funny joke on the page, and then we had a lot of people coming for the cocktail party, so we had to start doing it.”

The cocktail, which costs £6.50, contains Malibu, banana liqueur, pineapple juice and is topped off with whipped cream and a banana garnish.

The Hawk-Tuah cocktail was created after the bar posted a joke on its Facebook account (Image: The Northern Way)

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Can you tell us a little about the history of the bar?

“I’ve been managing it for two and a half years now. I’m not sure what was here before, I think it might have been Madison’s. Amber Taverns took it over and they renovated it.

“The bar was in the middle, where the square is. It was there, they took everything out and moved it there (to the side).

“We have a private karaoke room, it’s free, we don’t even charge. There are thousands and thousands of songs, two microphones. You can’t hear anything when the door is closed, so no one can hear you screaming.”

What’s it like to run The Northern Way?

“It was hard. Very hard. I’m not going to lie: after Covid and all that, it was hard to get them in, and then we got them all in, and then the cost of living crisis came.

“We’re the cheapest pub in town for pints – Foster’s is £2.50, Strongbow is £2.50, John Smith’s is £2.40.

“The most expensive pint we have is the Moretti and it costs £4.”

She added: “It’s hard to get them to come, if you don’t have anything planned they don’t really tend to come. On Tuesdays we have to have three staff on site because we have karaoke and things like that.”

Owner Ellie Sutcliffe is just 25 years old (Image: Jack Fifield, Newsquest)

Do you serve food?

“No, we don’t. We make chips, we made sandwiches and pies at one point.

“There is no separate kitchen to do anything in, so it is not worth it for us.”

Is there an outdoor space?

“Yes, there’s a beer garden. We’ve got new benches installed, we’ve got all the LED lighting fixed outside. We’re going to get someone to put in some plants and things like that.”

An outdoor dining area has been opened, and more plants will be available soon (Image: Jack Fifield, Newsquest)

What is the most popular drink you serve?

“Probably Foster’s, I’m not going to lie, because it’s the cheapest.”

“On Tuesdays we have karaoke. It’s the Tuesday club, so we do a £50 bar, a meat hamper, we spin the wheel and stuff like that, it’s from 3pm to 7pm.

“On Thursday we have karaoke from 3pm to 7pm, then we have a quick quiz at 9pm.

“On Fridays we have karaoke from 5pm to 9pm, then on Fridays we have karaoke from 5pm to 9pm, and on Saturdays we always have a live singer or band.”

The karaoke room is freely accessible (Image: Jack Fifield, Newsquest)

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What are the biggest challenges facing the industry today and how can you overcome them?

“I would probably say it’s really hard to attract customers back, it’s so hard right now.

“We’re so out of the way too. They all live on the other side of town, where Churchgate is and all that, it’s so hard to get them here, it’s crazy.

“We’re literally at the edge of something, out of the way, and all the other pubs that are doing stuff are all over there, it’s really tough.”

What is the worst thing about running a bar and why?

“I would say the hours are very busy. I don’t just work behind the bar, I have to do so many other things, I feel like I don’t have a life, it’s very hard. But the hours are really the worst.”

What is the best thing about running a bar and why?

“The customers. The customers are great – half of them come in every day, they’re great, they’re so nice.”

Are there any memorable moments?

“We had a memorial, one of our regular customers passed away and we raised a lot of money, we have a bench with his name on it.

“It was a really memorable moment.”

If you have a story to tell, I cover the whole of Bolton. Please contact me at [email protected].