Hotel Gotham Newcastle prepares to swing open the doors this October with the city’s most anticipated new bar – FIRE, promising boundary-pushing mixology and creative flair to ignite the heat on Newcastle’s nightlife.
Leading the charge behind the bar is newly appointed Bar Manager, Zach Rigney – with over a decade of experience and a reputation for turning cocktails into theatre. He aims to create a drinking destination where every guest is the main character and every cocktail tells a story.
He previously ran the bar at Pepo, an experimental cocktail bar known for its sustainability-led, fruit-forward concept and El Guapo, famed for the largest margarita menu in the world. He now brings his signature mix of sustainability, showmanship and science to Hotel Gotham Newcastle.
Speaking of his new role, Zach said: “Newcastle is home, I’ve always believed it deserves a bar scene that competes with London, Manchester and beyond. FIRE will be a place of energy, playfulness and indulgence – a bar where the service is exceptional, the lights are low and the cocktails are just a little bit mischievous.”
Guests can anticipate an inclusive, high-energy atmosphere where every visit is an experience. FIRE promises drama, daring and drinks worth dressing up for. From clarified cosmos to smoke-laced cocktails, the menu is set to dazzle blending timeless craftsmanship with modern mixology. Expect edible garnishes, fruit gels, foams and fizz – all designed to ignite the senses and spark conversation. Some cocktails’ are as cheeky as they are chic – like Cigars After Sex, unveiled under a bell jar of swirling smoke or 69 Pilgrim Street, a layered tribute to the bar’s location and mischievous spirit.
He is also bringing sustainability to the forefront of Gotham’s cocktail culture, with a strong emphasis on partnering with brands that share the hotel’s commitment to responsible practices. Many of the chosen suppliers prioritise sustainable production and each house pour and garnish has been carefully selected with this in mind.
Furthermore, in collaboration with the hotel’s Executive Head Chef, David Kennedy, the bar will repurpose citrus rinds into salts and dehydrate leftover raspberries into garnishes making flavour go further and waste go down. Even the menus themselves are set to spark conversation – crafted from repurposed fire hoses, in a nod to the building’s history.
Chris Thompson, General Manager at Hotel Gotham said: “FIRE is everything we imagined and more – a celebration of creativity, rebellion and pure glamour. Zach’s vision pushes the boundaries of what a bar in Newcastle can be. We’re not just opening a venue, we’re setting the city alight with something truly special.”
As well as curating the FIRE experience, Zach will also oversee drinks at Club Brass – Hotel Gotham’s exclusive, members-only lounge. Here, the cocktails will be refined, polished and quietly provocative, offering a more intimate setting for Newcastle’s cultural tastemakers and city insiders.
Zach’s journey from a countryside pub to Gotham’s gilded glamour is a tale of passion, progression and pushing boundaries.
He continues: “I’ve worked in independent bars across Newcastle and watched the city’s cocktail culture grow. But Gotham is a whole new level – the first five-star hotel in the North East and a chance to create something extraordinary from the ground up.”
