Cocktail bar and restaurant group The Alchemist is opening a second venue in Birmingham.

The company has announced it will launch a new bar this summer after a £1.4 million revamp of the building previously occupied by fish restaurant Le Monde, in Brindleyplace, which closed in early 2017.

Around 70 new full- and part-time jobs will be created at The Alchemist when it opens in August.

The firm, which is famous for its theatrical cocktails, first came to the city in summer 2016 when it opened a bar alongside neighbouring venue Gusto in the revamped Grand Hotel building in Colmore Row.

The Alchemist opened in Colmore Row in 2016
The Alchemist opened in Colmore Row in 2016

It has since become a staple for after-work drinks and weekend cocktails in the heart of the city's business district.

The Alchemist was founded in Manchester in 2010 since when it has launched several venues across across the country with plans to open two more sites in London during 2019.

Head of bars Felix Crosse said: "Since opening The Alchemist on Colmore Row in 2016, we have become one of the go-to places for cocktails in the city.

"We are really proud to have created the LAB which is unique to Birmingham and a testing ground for potential new drinks on our national menu.

"The opportunity at Brindleyplace will allow us to delve into the late-night space in Birmingham and offer something a little different.

"It will be a great foil to our much-loved Colmore Row venue which continues to thrive in the heart of the city.

"There have been many fantastic developments and new openings in Birmingham recently and, as a company, we are all just incredibly proud and excited to be part of what promises to be a brilliant year for the city's eating and drinking out scene."