There are frequent references to 'Lemo' in the dialogue, this is Scouse slang for cocaine.
In episode 2, Ronnie Phelan (Sean Bean) and the rest of his gang go to visit their Columbian drug supplier in Spain. On seeing their huge house, Bobby Duffy (Kevin Harvey) says "who'd they get that from, a Bond villain?" Sean Bean played the Bond villain in Goldeneye.
Critics calling This City is Ours "the Scouse (Liverpool) Sopranos". Episode 1, at 51 mins, has a montage of shots of the drive from an airport to a Spanish holiday home, filmed very much in the style of The Sopranos opening credits.
Released around the same time as the web-series "The City is Ours", which was also filmed in the North West of England.
The hotel where Ricardo stays is actually the restaurant Panoramic34, which is located on the 34th floor of West Tower, the tallest building in Liverpool. It was also used as restaurant in The Gathering.