In a stretch of Dalston long shaped by the flux of pop-ups, permanent closures, and late-night revivals – a new venue is set to open in the basement once home to The Nest. Parasol, launching on Thursday 1st May, arrives from familiar hands: the team behind Discount Suit Company, The Sun Tavern and the Umbrella Project, who also run one of London’s only working cideries.

The 150-capacity bar marks the first collaboration between hospitality veterans Andy Kerr and Tom Gibson. Friends for over a decade, they’ve previously worked in parallel; Kerr leading the Umbrella Project and Gibson helming cult venues like Ruby’s and, more recently, Corrochio’s in nearby Stoke Newington.

Their new spot sits somewhere between cocktail bar and low-key club. The drinks list is tight but ambitious – classic cocktails reimagined with the kind of house-made tinctures and offbeat pairings the Umbrella team are known for. A tropical-leaning June Bug, with overproof rum and banana, sits alongside the smoky El Diablo Guapo, made with mezcal, palo santo and Umbrella’s own ginger beer. More playful entries include a French Martini updated with cognac and raspberry eau de vie, and a fiery ‘Korean Jesus’, built around gochujang, plum soju and mezcal.

If the drinks are bold, the space is more restrained. Pink and black tones, textured walls and materials sourced from whisky production and carpentry workshops suggest a kind of deliberate ruggedness. The lighting is low, the mood somewhere between Moroccan riad and early ‘80s New York club (appropriate, given the soundtrack will lean heavily on mutant disco and leftfield electronic sets from a rotating cast of DJs).

There’s also a wine list, curated by Hugo Meyer Esquerré of Provisions Wine & Cheese, that focuses on small-batch European producers. Think juicy reds, mineral whites and a smattering of pét-nats and Sicilian orange wines. Snacks, too, come via Provisions.

Parasol isn’t aiming for reinvention, but it is hoping to hit a sweet spot: somewhere between the precision of a cocktail lab and the looseness of a good party.

36 Stoke Newington Road, London, N16 7XJ