Parasol opens in East London
England’s capital will welcome another cocktail bar next week with the arrival of Parasol in Dalston.
Opening on 1 May, Parasol will be situated on Stoke Newington Road, in the subterranean space that once housed nightclub The Nest.
It comes from Andy Kerr and Tom Gibson, a pair well-versed in opening bars in London. Kerr is behind the likes of Discount Suit Company, The Sun Tavern and The Umbrella Workshop, while Gibson is to thank for the cocktails at Ruby’s, its predecessor Corrochio’s and co-founded the Bluecoats pub in North London.
Combining their bar expertise under one roof… downstairs, the space takes its design cues from Kerr and Gibson’s time living and working in Mexico and Morocco. Think muted pink and black tones, and an emphasis on the use of repurposed materials (the bar top and lights are said to have both been hand built with malting tiles, reclaimed from the process of malting barley to make whisky), as well seating crafted from hand-slit oak.
The space and atmosphere will also be complemented by a soundtrack curated by a roster of guest DJs, who will play ‘esoteric selections based around heady 1980s NYC-style mutant disco’.
Cocktails
Parasol’s menu will continue on from what was being developed at Kerr’s Umbrella Project, focusing on riffs on classics on one side, and then on the other, a list of ‘innovative’ house cocktails.
For the former, there’s the June Bug (described as a ‘refreshing Highball’ made with Takamaka Overproof Rum, yellow chartreuse, pineapple, banana, melon and coconut); and the El Diablo Guapo, which blends Quiquiriqui Mezcal together with Palo Santo, tonka bean, blackberry and Umbrella London Ginger Beer, served in a Highball glass for a smoky and spicy twist.
Elsewhere there are twists on the Cosmopolitan, French Martini and Vesper Martini, the latter of which is put together with a combination of Grey Goose, Boatyard Gin, Kina L’Aero and Vichy Catalan, served in a mini Martini glass.
The house cocktail list, meanwhile, is backed with serves such as The Yuk Fu (a blend of El Gobernador Pisco, green chartreuse, lemongrass, pandan, coconut, chilli, and lime) and the Kinder Bueno, which takes on the nutty chocolate’s flavours via Michters Sour Mash Whiskey, Two Stacks Irish Cream Liqueur, hazelnut, cacao and clarified milk.
For something bolder, the team also recommend the Korean Jesus in this section, which has Tequila, mezcal, plum soju and gochujang in its make up.
Kerr and Gibson are longtime friends and Parasol is their first – and long awaited – debut project together.
They said: “Since first meeting in Stoke Newington 12 years ago and working together on the Ruby’s cocktail concept, we’ve had the dream of working together on our own project, in our own neighbourhood.
“Now feels like the perfect time for us to launch Parasol, with Dalston’s nightlife and culture seeing a great resurgence, which we’re both tremendously excited about.”
This year London has added Under the Counter, Cav, Sprout, Molly Mc’s and Cinco all to its bar lineup, though the city has lost two, with the closures of Silverleaf, and Blue Bar at The Berkeley after more than 25 years of service.
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