A ‘MOONSHINE’ bar is finally open after months of renovations.

American-themed 51fifty welcomed customers through its doors at the former home of Blind Tiger in Nelson Square on Saturday, six months after their proposed opening in June.

The venue, which serves a range of drinks paying homage to ‘moonshine’ alcohol, is kitted out with TVs showing American football, and motorbikes on display with pool tables and a pinball machine.

Moonshine was made illegally in the States during the alcohol prohibition era in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Business partners Chris Walker and Brett Bortoft, based in Blackburn, wanted to recreate an American themed bar in Bolton.

Chris said: “We would have opened in June like we had planned but we wanted to get the décor perfect and with everything going on with Covid, decided to wait as it was just one thing after another.

“But it went well, we’ve had nothing but positive reviews and we’re pleased with it.

“We hope to build it up successfully and it’s been a massive relief getting started and seeing the fruits of many months finally coming together at the end of it all.

“Nothing usually goes how you plan it but it could not have gone better for us.”

The team have had to make changes and adapt to things like changing the music style to suit UK customers with planned hip-hop and country music as well as rap.

But the renovations have taken longer than expected due to unforeseen problems with walls and a lack of roofing.

Chris said: “We’ve had to change a couple of things to make it work but it’s not bad change, you just have to adapt because not everything works from the US scene.

“When we peeled back some wallpaper off a wall, some of the wall started coming off it. I called contractor to deal with it, but these things happen.

“We spend a lot of time in Bolton and have been to the USA and experienced these bars we wanted to bring here, because there isn’t anything like that in Bolton.”

People can try traditional American hot dogs and burgers on the menu – and of course the moonshine cocktails.