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What to drink at Oriole
After its original Smithfield site shut two years ago, the new home of cocktail bar Oriole has been opened in Covent Garden. Louis Thomas gets the lowdown from the team behind it.
It was in late 2022 that Oriole announced that it was being forced to close due to the redevelopment of Smithfield Market and the relocation of the Museum of London. In the interim between this and arriving the new location, there were a number of Oriole pop-ups.
However, according to Roisin Stimpson, co-founder of Speakeasy Entertainment (which is also behind Bar Swift and Nightjar), these temporary Oriole spots were not just about killing time between permanent sites: “Prelude, our pop-up bar and restaurant, presented an invaluable opportunity to road test new ideas for the ground floor bar opposite, as well as celebrate the forthcoming restaurant opening. The bar programme was kindly sponsored by Edrington so we played with a lot of brown spirits in light and refreshing combinations as well as stirred down classic drinks.”
“We also used the pop-up to try out new equipment,” she explained. “The new charcoal oven arrived mid-way and we put it to the test with meat and vegetarian dishes. We played with different manners of plating up and presenting the food for the upstairs menu, which will be light bites and pre-theatre dining, whereas downstairs will be a more classic three course approach. Most importantly, we also got to know the area, its hot points and quieter spells, the community, neighbouring bars and restaurants, and tourists. We’re very excited to be opening our permanent site just across the street from where we had our pop-up.”
The new site will have some firsts, as Edmund Weil, Stimpson’s fellow co-founder, explained: “At the new Oriole, we have a ground-floor aperitif bar, where we’re serving a number of aperitivo-style cocktails showcasing different expressions of sherry and vermouth. Lots of these cocktails are also available on draught; it’s the first time we’re serving cocktails on tap. These include the Odyssey – a Paloma-inspired serve with Don Julio Blanco Tequila, The Lost Explorer Espadin mezcal, pickled pink ginger, Lillet rose, and timur berry soda. There’s also the Bay of Plenty, a Daiquiri style cocktail with Plymouth Gin, Trois Rivieres Cuvee De L’Ocean rum, golden kiwi, fig leaf and lime.”
“The downstairs restaurant is home to our first ever in-house bar lab,” added Stimpson, “which has allowed our bar director Samet Ali and his team to be more creative than ever before. The team will be using a centrifuge for crafting clarified seasonal juices and syrups, and we also have an Ultrasonic Homogeniser, which rapidly creates barrel-aged flavour while maintaining the ingredients’ vivid colours and aromas.”
Bar director Samet Ali revealed the multi-step process through which Oriole develops its drinks offering: “We start by brainstorming with the team to identify the key flavours, ingredients, and styles of drinks we want to explore. Sometimes the inspiration comes from a serve we have in mind or specific new glassware we’ve found, and other times it’s an ingredient we discover first, which we then build the rest around.”
“From there,” he continued, “we taste all the new ingredients or products and think about how we can tie them into our concept of travelling. The final drink might be inspired by a city, a place, an event, a traditional drink or a dish, or even a book. We experiment with various combinations, carefully balancing flavours and textures to create something unique and memorable. We also consider seasonality and current trends to ensure the drinks resonate with our guests. After several rounds of tastings and refinements, we finalise the recipes that best capture the essence of what we want to offer.”
Drinks picks
The all-important question is: what should one order when visiting the new Oriole?
For Stimpson and Weir, two picks from the new drinks list stand out: “A favourite would have to be Cities of the Plain. It’s dry, smoky from the mezcal, and just a really innovative and unique serve. The presentation of the Belle Mare is also very unique, as it’s served in a ceramic dish reminiscent of an oyster shell, which is a nod to the oceanic twist on a Martini.”
Oriole is not just a destination for drinks though – it does offer a selection of dishes, and though consumers don’t tend to think of cocktails being paired with food, thankfully the team has put thought into it.
“I’d accompany either our hamachi tiradito or seabass ceviche with the Belle Mare. The salinity of the drink works perfectly with the freshness of the kimchi aguachile in the tiradito and or the spicy, citrus heavy leche de tigre in the ceviche,” suggested Stimpson. “The Cities of the Plain is a versatile one, as the depth and richness of the cocktail pairs well with lots of dishes on our menu. I personally love to drink it as a dessert cocktail, with a slice of our chocolate and dulce de leche tart.”
There is also a degree of continuity from the drinks list of the old Oriole site, as Weil shared: “The Acadia, a peanut butter and jelly-inspired whisky sour, will be staying on the menu, as will the Bergerac (a Cognac-based cocktail with fig leaf). We’ve had them both on the menu for six-plus years, just because people keep going back for them. There’ll be lots of other Oriole classics, too.”
“As with the original Oriole,” the pair concluded, “we want customers to feel that they’ve chanced upon something very unique that has made them feel personally looked after…We hope to leave customers feeling that the truly exceptional is out there, they just have to know where to look!”
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