Two minutes with Roisin Stimpson and Edmund Weil (Founders of Speakeasy Entertainment (the team behind the award-winning bars Nightjar, Oriole, and Bar Swift)
PRELUDE by Oriole is the latest incarnation of Oriole bar, which closed at Smithfield Market back in 2022. Which elements of the classic Oriole can guests expect to see at the pop-up, and what will be new?
The biggest difference between the original Oriole and PRELUDE by Oriole, is that food has become a much bigger focus for us, and we’re serving an à la carte food menu alongside the cocktails for the very first time. We’ve also got an exciting new menu of cocktails. We’ve not abandoned all of our Oriole classics though, a few signature cocktails are still on the menu, including the Acadia, a clarified twist on a Whisky Sour inspired by a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Which of the new drinks are you most excited about?
We’re excited about all our new drinks but the Mizuwari is really fun and unusual. It combines 12-year-old Highland Park whisky washed with chocolate miso with asparagus distillate, amontillado sherry, green walnut vermouth and cold brewed Hojoicha tea. It perfectly pairs with the Huitlacoche, Mushrooms and Egg Yolk dish, as all of the cocktails on the new menu have been designed to compliment the food, and each pairs well with a corresponding dish.
What's next for Oriole?
The second permanent iteration of Oriole will be opening in The Yards, Covent Garden later this summer. PRELUDE by Oriole is a research and development space for both food and drink, so a lot of the drinks and dishes will appear on the menu there too, but some you’ll only find at PRELUDE (another reason to visit before it shuts!) Stay tuned - we’ll have more news soon!