New members’ club unveiled as bar aims to change Stoke-on-Trent’s drinking culture
“Stoke-on-Trent has never had a bar like ours," says Desire owner Dereece Gardner
A Stoke-on-Trent cocktail bar which is ‘aiming to change drinking culture’ in the city has launched a members’ club.
Desire Cocktail Bar, which opened in December 2023 in a former NHS sexual health clinic in Hanley, has unveiled the Desire Collective – giving loyal customers access to a secret monthly cocktail menu, theatre ticket raffles and other rewards.
Owner Dereece Gardner invested £100,000 to open the Piccadilly bar almost two years ago after a decade as an area manager for PureGym.
Since then the bar has become a popular pre- and post-theatre destination, known for exotic serves such as dragonfruit margaritas and mangosteen mules. It has also introduced creative events including Financial Fridays – where drink prices rise and fall with demand like the stock market – as well as food pairings, networking sessions and wine tastings.
Dereece, who has lived in the Potteries for 17 years, said: “I wanted to build something that challenges the perception of nightlife and changes drinking culture in Stoke-on-Trent. People often think of cheap deals and clubs, but hospitality can be about so much more than that.
“Bars can be intimidating, but we want people to feel comfortable. I see so many regular faces who feel at home here – the drink is just the icing on the cake. The Desire Collective is our way of saying thank you to the people who’ve supported us.”
Drawing on his Caribbean heritage and family background in hospitality, Dereece has shaped the bar’s ethos and menu, with a new craft-focused drinks list set to launch soon.
His ambition for Desire to be recognised among the UK’s top bars took a step forward in September when it was featured in Class Bar magazine – and he says he is proud to be building a cocktail culture in a city which hasn’t had one before.
He said: “Piccadilly is thriving again thanks to the theatres and independent businesses and we’re proud to be part of that regeneration story. Hanley is not as bad as people think – we want to change the narrative and show what the city is capable of.
“Stoke-on-Trent has never had a bar like ours. We’re challenging expectations, giving people something they haven’t experienced before and treating them like family.”