Hidden gem: discover The Brink in Liverpool, Britain’s first ‘dry’ bar and cafe

Since opening in 2011, the UK’s first-ever “dry” bar, The Brink has been a safe space, a life-changing place – a recovery space.

Popular amongst the recovery community, students, families and the general public alike, the venue has been referred to as a thriving social hub. This hidden gem provides a space for people of all walks of life.

‘People need this space’

Lucy McLachlan, Café Manager, The Brink Liverpool, said, “I’ve spent 15 years working in hospitality in Liverpool. I had a bar job over Covid and what we found is that a lot of younger people are staying away from alcohol which is quite cool because we’re here to provide that space for people.

“We’re also finding that people are after a space, especially when the football is on, to get away from the alcohol atmosphere. Bank holiday weekend as well. We’re really picking up on when people need this space. And, it’s during those days where it’s a social like cultural day of drinking alcohol.”

In the building on Parr street, they offer a number of services for individuals and families struggling with addiction and its consequences.

As The Forward Trust’s flagship social enterprise, all The Brink’s profits go directly back into the community to fund support for those who have suffered through alcoholism and addiction.

In the heart of Liverpool city centre, people affected by drug and alcohol addiction turn to this award-winning recovery hub to find help, support and access to the treatment they need.

The venue is staffed by people who have had problems with alcohol in the past, providing those in recovery with an opportunity to re-enter the workforce.

Ms McLachlan said: “We’ve got a bunch of volunteers who have all been through recovery. They’re through to the other side now, and we train them up in the kitchen, the cafe and how to lead recovery groups, things like that.”

A YouGov poll from earlier this year shows that around one in five Britons who drink alcohol (17%) say they are now drinking more alcohol than before the coronavirus pandemic began in March 2020, while three in ten (29%) say they’re drinking less. Half (51%) say their alcohol consumption habits are the same now as before the pandemic began in the UK.