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Words by Olivia Vaughan

Settled in Liverpool’s Wolstenholme Square, Sister Ray is where European cafe ease meets the considered cool of a New York bar, and it has carved out that identity quietly, confidently, and with enough conviction that the industry has taken notice twice over. Recognised as one of the UK’s top 50 cocktail bars in both 2025 and 2026, we paid them a visit to sample their new spring menu.

Life Used To Be Cinematic is Sister Ray’s spring menu: ten brand-new cocktails, each one its own small world to disappear into. This is drinking as transportation, serves that don’t just taste good but take you somewhere. Fashion is my Passion makes the case beautifully: marshmallow gin lifted with tropical fruit, with a cloud of cream and egg white softening everything into something light, frilly and completely unserious in the best possible way.

None of it would land quite the same without the staff. Knowledgeable but never showy. Attentive but never hovering. They read the room and steer you towards something you didn’t know you wanted. Your glass is never the thing you’re worrying about. Sister Ray is the kind of place that works for everyone. A bar stool for two. A booth for a group. Whatever the occasion, the room bends to fit it.

We didn’t stop there. Just a short walk away lives their sister venue, Simone’s. Sometimes, the best bars are the ones you almost walk past. Tucked down Queen Avenue, a slip of a street most people couldn’t place on a map, pinched between Castle Street and Dale Street, Simone’s is the psychedelic cocktail den that Liverpool can’t stop talking about. Every night brings a different set, with resident DJs and guests moving through jazz, Afrobeat, funk and beyond, all shaped by Simone’s hand-built sound system. Where Sister Ray breathes and opens out, Simone’s draws you in close, taking its cues from the Japanese listening bar tradition. There’s a little space for dancing, though nobody’s obliged.

Their spring menu is built around escapism. Each serve feels less like an order and more like a destination. You can’t deny this menu has a sense of humour. Order the Cai-Pirahna and let it arrive before you say anything. Served in a fish-shaped vessel, it earns its name before you’ve taken a sip. Inside: Brazilian cachaca meeting the quiet earthiness of matcha, lifted by yuzu and smoothed out with agave. Sharp, considered and just a little bit silly.

Despite the intimacy of the space, the care and attention never shrinks to match it. The staff know the menu, know the music, and know when to leave you to it. Small room, full service. Start the night at Sister Ray. Then, when the night wants to shift gear, head over to Simone’s. Two bars, one obsession with doing things properly. The making of a perfect Liverpool night out.