Experienced cocktail trio to open bar in Birmingham’s Custard Factory

Birmingham-cocktail-trio-to-launch-Passing-Fancies-bar-at-Digbeth-s-Custard-Factory.png

Tommy Matthews will join forces with fellow bartenders Matt Arnold and Eve Green to launch a bar that will bring ‘approachable luxury’ to the hip Birmingham neighbourhood of Digbeth this September.

In Custard Factory, Passing Fancies will have 54 covers have a layout akin to ‘the kitchen at a house party’. 

Inspired by the idea of ‘creativity out of love’, the bar’s name nods to the trio’s aim to move with the times, regularly changing the menu and eschewing a set theme.

The three founders are well-known on Birmingham’s bar scene, with Matthews having previously headed up The Edgbaston as Bar Manager and opened Couch in Stirchley, which have both featured on the Top 50 Cocktail Bars list. 

Arnold also worked at The Edgbaston as well as at Jacques of Knowle and The Grand Hotel, while Green is the former Bar Manager of Grain & Glass. 

“At our core is our passion for what we do, the stories we share and the people we share them with. Passing Fancies is an extension of us, a place where everyone can gather to experience the comforting excellence of high-end beverages and build fond memories,” says Matthews. 

“Think of it not as a bar but a vehicle for community, nestled within the creative heart of Birmingham with a menu as varied and fluid as the lives we lead. We want to ensure that our staff feel as valued as our customers. It’s important to us to give back to the industry that has given so much to us.”