ATLAS. The name brings international drinks to mind, supped by suave gents. And looking back, there was a period in the mid-1990s when this picture bordered on reality.

Atlas was, after all, the hipsters bar of choice thanks to an in-house deli, sprawling beer terrace and proximity to Castlefield - which back then was the place to be.

But as the canal basin succumbed to departing business, vandalism and at least three fires in the old Canteena building (one of which I extinguished) Atlas' cool status took a bashing, too, and changes of management haven't improved things.

Current manager Gareth Stirling, has been there about a year and he recalls none of the swinging Atlas of old - unsurprising really, as the years have stripped most of the character (and characters) from this corner-shaped bar.

These days, city-pad style furnishings have taken care of the deli, and interior highlights now include wooden floors, DJ decks that are only occupied on the weekends and coloured padding on the walls.

Simple bar chic is the look, and following suit, the drinks stride firmly down the middle of the road. On draught, they've got Carlsberg, Grolsch and Hoegaarden, while by-the-bottle bestsellers include Sol, Peroni, Magners and Fruli.

The range is not wildly exciting but not terrible either, and some of their spirits and wines reach up to the top of the pub spectrum. House vodka, for example, is Swedish favourite Absolut and with their "very good" G&T, as Gareth calls it, you'll get the herby Bombay Sapphire as standard.

Sambucas

They've got a clan of single malts and more flavoured sambucas than I've ever seen, including some really out-there flavours like banana, raspberry and mandarin, as well as the usual Luxardo editions.

This sambuca bubble makes me wonder if the spirit is to the Noughties what vodka was to the Nineties; there's certainly something warmer, and more flavoursome about downing shots of the sweet stuff, particularly compared to the cold, belly-burning experience of vodka. And you can set fire to it, too, which adds a thrill to any night out.

Atlas also do food, like paninis, home-made pizzas and Thai curries and it's all very reasonable, but the problem is that the bar just doesn't stand out in Manchester's modern bar scene.

As my friend Selina pointed out when we dropped in; "If you like cool city bars, there are way better ones to go to and, if you like pubs, you should go to Knott bar across the road."

But, cycling past the bar each night, it's seldom empty and with a 150-person capacity beer terrace still out back, and two nights of house music on Fridays and Saturdays, as well as an all evening BBQ on Sunday nights, Atlas has got a lot more going for it than your mate's city-pad.

Here's to the bar realising its full potential again soon.

Atlas Bar, 376 Deansgate, Manchester. (0161 834 2124) Open: Sunday-Thursday noon-midnight, Friday-Saturday noon-2am.

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