Josh Barrie On the Sauce at Parasol: Brolly good drinks, come rain or shine

Strongly themed bars are not my favourite. I don’t want to sit in a Victorian gin room or be asked to escape Guantanamo with a fruity cocktail made with a single measure of rum. Though I get the whole “inspiration” thing. Bloodsports in Covent Garden is loosely based on American sports bars and I love it thanks to the Chicago-style hotdogs — the new Pope’s favourite — and shots of bourbon with cheap lager.

Parasol worried me slightly. Press fluff talked about “cutting edge” drinks in a place inspired by “1980s New York mutant disco”. But I thought I’d better check it out anyway and off I went on a Lime bike to Stoke Newington Road, where all the new cocktail bars open these days.

Blessedly, it isn’t really themed at all. Instead, it’s a sweeping room, minimalist, illuminated where it needs to be and with plenty of seats to sit on until 2am. Behind a hefty collection of spirits is exposed brick. In the corner is a space for live music. There was nobody there when I visited but most likely a DJ I’ve never heard of with a moustache and a trust fund arrived after I’d left.

The first section of the drinks list, called “House”, upset me. Disco Biscuits, with Scotch, riesling, strawberries and biscuit tea sounded okay, but you’d have to pay me a lot more than I am to have me drinking a Kinder Bueno or a Baklava. Sugar in cocktails, worse than a mugging.

But the “Disco” section brought an El Diablo Guapo, made with smoky mezcal, palo santo, tonka beans and ginger beer, and a blackberry shrub frosted in light purple. Sensational. A drink I imagine is best enjoyed twice or possibly three times, more so given it’s only a tenner (they all are).

Mutant disco? Maybe later. Parasol reminded me more of Montreal, a city full of classy bars with snazzy cocktails and bartenders who just get it. Deserves to do very well indeed.

30 Stoke Newington Road, N16, parasol-london.co.uk

20 Mount Street, W1, scotts-mayfair.com

The Mayfair institution Scott’s, one of London’s many moneyed cauldrons of fine seafood, has launched its first own-label wine, a chablis with three expressions, from £82 for a standard bottle to £155 for the 1er Cru Côte de Jouan 2023. Produced in partnership with Château du Val de Mercy, the wines are elegant, with hints of ripe pears and the chalky minerality we crave. They are only available at the restaurant. The middle option, Chablis 2023, is £22 per glass.

Alfriston, East Sussex, rathfinnyestate.com

The beautiful Rathfinny wine estate in the South Downs is to host a series of events this summer in a bid to get British drinkers better acquainted with English sparkling wine. Beginning with an English Wine Escape on June 25 & 26, experiences include tastings, vineyard tours, barbecues among the vines and more, and run until the end of August. Lunch on the vineyard starts at around £40. There are e-bikes to roams the vines too.