A bar in Leeds has come up with a 'sweet shop' cocktail menu and we're absolutely here for it.
Mad Frans on Wellington Place is a cute little cocktail bar and restaurant, dishing up a host of classic and signature cocktails plus a good range of spirit mixers and beers too.
But the thing that's really caught our eye is their sweet shop selection, inspired by all of our tuck shop favourites - with everything from giant strawbs and fruit salad chews, to parma violets getting a look in.
Photo credit: Mad Frans
Some of the quirkier drinks on the new menu include a meringue-topped 'fruit salad' cocktail made with raspberry, pineapple, white rum, citrus and sugar; and a 'lemon sherbert' drink comprised of sharp limoncello, lemon sorbet, prosecco, sugar, citrus and lashings of lemon sherbert.
They've also infused their own gin with parma voilets to create a purple-hued (and lethal-sounding) sour that combines the sweetie-flavoured spirit with vanilla vodka, apple, cirtus, sugar and egg white for a drink that will knock your socks off.
Mad Frans has a whole host of classics on its menu as well as the sweet shop cocktails / Image: Mad Frans bar
Elsewhere, other drinks include a candy floss-inspired creation with gin, apple liquer, apple juice, lemonade and grenadine, and a 'cola bottle' drink; made with orange marmalade, spiced rum, bitters, caramel and soda.
The drink that really catches our eye, though, is their 'sour cherry one', which pits vodka and cherry liqueur together with cherry jam, bitters, sugar, lemon and egg white for the ultimate sweet-meets-sour treat.
Photo credit: Mad Frans
As well as offering plenty of fun drinks, Mad Frans also has a good kitchen offering tasty scran throughout the week and bottomless brunches and roasts during the weekend.
Head down during happy hour to make the most of your money here, with all their cocktails priced at 2 for £12 between 12 and 6 pm Sunday and Friday, and 12 - 4 pm on Saturdays.
Find Mad Frans at Building 6 Wellington Place, Whitehall Rd, Leeds LS1 4EQ. For more information, head over to their Instagram page here.
News
Horsforth Brewery to takeover and save beloved Ilkley tap house
A renowned brewery have announced that they will be taking over the reigns of a popular craft beer bottle shop in Ilkley.
Fuggle & Golding opened in 2015 on Leeds road in Ilkley and quickly grew a loyal following with locals and visitors alike.
Sadly they announced last month that their last day of trading would be Saturday 28 February, news which was met with huge disappointment.
However this is no longer the case, as Horsforth Brewery is set to reopen the venue on Wednesday. Hooray!
Announcing the welcomed news to Instagram, Horsforth Brewery wrote: "When we saw they were going to close we were determined to not lose another great venue from the local beer scene.
"We owe a massive thank you to George and the landlord for getting a deal across the line in quick order.
"We’re going to take a few days to put our stamp on the place and then we will be open on Wednesday!"
"Obviously we will be stocking our beers here but as anyone who knows will know, we love the beer scene so we will continue to have a good amount of guest beer on as well. We’ll even been joining in with the biggest beer launches from around the country.
"Want to know the best news? We’re doing this solo. No outside interests, no investors, no debt. In the current climate being able to organically grow like this is so so hard and it’s thanks to all our team that we’ve been able to do this.
"We’ve always been determined to grow our business in a healthy and sustainable way; it may have (absolutely has) been tough over the years but we’ve got ourselves in a position to take us to the next level in a sustainable way."
Beloved late night Leeds cocktail bar The Maven announces permanent closure
Clementine Hall
"After years of late nights, strong cocktails, and incredible stories; The Maven will close its doors"
It's a sad day for the Leeds night life scene, as a beloved speakeasy bar has today announced that it will be closing its doors for good.
The Maven has been a firm favourite for many years with those looking to enjoy some experimental and expertly made cocktails.
Hidden behind an unassuming door at the top of Call Lane, it was a great spot to visit if you were looking for something that little bit special.
Announcing the news to their social media, The Maven said: "From the bottom of our hearts we thank you for being our guests over the years and promise that until then, we'll do our best to give you the best nights out on Call Lane."
Georgina Pellant -
26th August 2021 
