The Brink: Liverpool's premier dry bar
As part of our ongoing 'Pioneers' series that looks to champion the do-ers, thinkers and makers behind the Northwest's burgeoning food and drink scene, we talk to Carl Bell, general manager of Liverpool’s The Brink.
Liverpool’s bar scene is growing on a daily basis. You can’t turn left without seeing a new pub or bar boasting something ‘new.’ So what makes Parr Street’s The Brink any different? By taking alcohol, quite literally, out of the mix, The Brink has created an alternative cafe that the city can be proud of.
The name, according to general manager Carl Bell, comes from “those who are on the brink of recovery.” Brink’s MO? Combining non-alcoholic drinks with freshly sourced produce. You can see familiar drinks like Long Island Iced Tea or a Cosmo swapped out with The Brink’s own Virgin Margarita – lime, orange and lemon, topped with lemonade (though still in a salt glass) – or a ‘Nojito,’ a rumless Mojito.
“We are helping people to change, by providing a safe social space,” Bell says. “About 50% of our customers are in recovery, the other 50% are just here to enjoy the atmosphere.”
The Brink doesn’t stop at drinks: it’s all about bargains, breakfasts and buffets. The extensive menu covers everything from a BLT to black treacle ham, egg and chips. Vegans and vegetarians alike are catered for, not to mention those on a raw-food diet. For the slightly more decadent among us, it also offer afternoon tea, where you can while away the hours with seasonal scones or house-blend coffee.
Six days a week The Brink operates abstinence work, but also has everything from open mic nights to football screenings. Its biggest selling point isn’t the brightly coloured cocktails or goats’ cheese and fig samosas, it’s the effort that the staff and supporters go to to keep it operating. This isn’t just your standard ‘juice bar.’
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More places to eat in Liverpool:
Contemporary American dishes: Free State Kitchen
Pub classics with a foodie twist: The Old Blind School
Liverpool’s first – and only – dry bar has been open since September 2011, with Bell taking over in February 2013. The brainchild of Jacquie Johnston-Lynch, after she tragically lost her brother to a drunk driver, The Brink is a purely not-for-profit enterprise kept alive by the work of the Action on Addiction charity, as well as donations and inspirational talks. Last month The Brink celebrated International Women’s Day with a womens' poetry night by Susan Fagan, and just the other week Hollyoaks and Brookside creator Phil Redmond popped in for some booze-free banter as one of its many guest speakers.
“We are helping people in recovery integrate into mainstream society,” says Bell, “as much as we are helping mainstream society integrate with those in recovery.”
The Brink shuns the stereotypes that some may associate with addiction. Not once in the manager's tenure has there been a fight or any sign of trouble that you might associate with other, booze-laden city centre outlets: "Being alcohol-free is not only our unique selling point, it makes a big difference,” Bell says. “We don’t need doormen!”
Back in 2010 Liverpool was noted as having one of the highest rates of alochol-related deaths in the country, according to the Office of National Statistics. Of the top ten listed locations, four were in Merseyside. But the murky past associated with addiction seems to be passing, thanks in part to places like The Brink.
Bell operates his own venture called ‘Brinky Business’ where he meets with other proprietors of recovery cafés to discuss ideas and ways to move forward. The Brink continues to grow year on year, and with it the ability to pump more and more money back into helping those less fortunate. An increasing profit margin and a larger client base means that things are looking bright.
While there are no plans to open a second brand, the model has caught on elsewhere: “There is one in Nottingham called Sobar,” Bell says. “They visited us several times before they opened to see how we work.”
It’s easy to admire the hard work of those like Bell, The Brink and Action on Addiction for helping not only those immediately affected, but also the larger community through a dynamic food and drink space. Be sure to pop by The Brink for a sober Sunday session.