On Wednesday 13th March, PRELUDE by Oriole will open in The Yards, Covent Garden – a three-month pop-up restaurant, bar and innovation space from the team behind acclaimed cocktail bars Oriole, Nightjar and Bar Swift. PRELUDE by Oriole will pave the way for the second iteration of award-winning speakeasy, Oriole, which will reopen in a permanent location in The Yards, Covent Garden later this summer.
At PRELUDE by Oriole, food and drink will be on equal footing, giving guests the opportunity to enjoy a brand-new list of cocktails featuring the likes of Brugal 1888 rum, The Macallan, and Highland Park. For the first time at Oriole, cocktails will be accompanied by an à la carte food offering. Argentine Head Chef Gustavo Giallionardo has created a menu which explores the ways that Latin American ingredients and cooking styles intersect with those from the rest of the globe.
In line with the adventure-seeking, migratory, oriole birds from which the bar takes its name, the drinks menu will draw inspiration from culinary and imbibing traditions around the world, with each cocktail paying homage to the distinctive ingredients and heritage of its region.
Bar Manager Samet Ali has developed a selection of cocktails, including the Mizuwari, combining 12-year-old Highland Park whisky washed with chocolate miso, asparagus distillate, amontillado sherry, green walnut vermouth and cold brewed Hojoicha tea. Drinks have been expertly paired with the food menu to create a rounded culinary experience, with the Mizuwari perfectly complementing the dish of Huitlacoche, Mushrooms and Egg Yolk; and the Apple Tart, Miso, Dulce de Leche Ice Cream, which will be paired with the Aomori, featuring ultra-premium Brugal 1888 rum from the Dominican Republic, as well as oak-aged quince rakia, meadow vermouth, Fuji apple juice and cherry blossom vinegar.