A Stoke-on-Trent bar owner wants to challenge perceptions of drinking culture in the city.

Dereece Gardner invested £100,000 to open Desire cocktail bar in Hanley almost two years ago after a decade as an area manager for PureGym and the business is continuing to go from strength to strength.

Nightlife in Hanley has been traditionally dominated by pubs and nightclubs until recent years, but Dereece says he wants to continue bringing something different to the city with a new menu set to launch soon.

Dereece told Stoke Nub News: "There has never realistically been a cocktail venue in Stoke that's been really centred around great hospitality using contemporary techniques and styles

"If you look at the journey of Stoke on Trent with nightlife, it's always been nightclubs and pubs.

"A lot of the ingredients have actually been made fresh by the people who are giving it to you. So it's been a real positive journey, we're doing something that's kind of never been done before around here. So it feels like there's a real magnitude to what we're doing."

Desire, based on Piccadilly, has become a popular pre- and post-theatre destination, known for exotic serves such as dragonfruit margaritas and mangosteen mules.

Dereece previosly worked at Puregym before taking on the city centre bar. (Optical Focus)

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.

The bar has also been recently featured in a global magazine - Class Bars - which showcases some of the top bars in the world.

"I think this is a real positive thing for the city and something that is going national as well as global.

"Sometimes we do get a little bit of negativity but we don't let that deter us from our journey."

Dereece says his team make around 70-80 per cent of their stock in-house with a new members club, Desire Collective, set to reward their loyal customer base with things like theatre tickets and offers for drinks.

Desire is based on Piccadilly in Hanley. (Optical Focus)

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.

He added: "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.

"The essence of a cocktail in most ways is to conceal the alcohol and many use a cordial these days but we're using fresh ingredients. You're getting fresh lime juice that we've literally made ourselves, and you're getting a fresh puree made by us that day.

"For example a frozen daiquiri which people often try on holiday, is going to be heavily diluted, watered down, and a completely different consistency to what they would have got here with us as we are using the best quality ingredients. So it may not be what people are used to.

"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."