THE AUBREY LAUNCHES THE YELLOW BOOK: VOLUME II

An innovative menu of Japanese inspired cocktails paying tribute to provocative art and literature

The acclaimed Japanese restaurant and elevated late night izakaya, The Aubrey, is set to launch the second volume of its cocktail book The Yellow Book, on Friday 20th September. Following the launch of Volume I in 2022, the second edition brings a new collection of modernist drinks to the innovative bar menu.

Tucked away beneath London’s Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, The Aubrey offers flawlessly executed food and cocktails within sumptuous interiors, reflecting the timeless elegance of the Japonisme movement. Each of the drinks showcases uniquely Japanese spirits, including Shochu, which is not often found outside of Asia, as well as The Aubrey’s recently launched own-label saké, made in collaboration with Tsuchida Saké Brewery in Tokyo. Specially concocted by the prodigious bar team, this new menu offers an unforgettable combination of Japanese flavours and Asian ingredients in each sip.

The Yellow Book is an ode to the namesake British quarterly illustrated magazine published in the 1890s. The sunshine-coloured cover, associated with illicit French novels at the time, was accredited to its first Art Editor, Aubrey Beardsley, after whom the restaurant is named. Beardsley’s drawings helped the journal garner its outrageous reputation, communicating his passion for depicting the extraordinary and the titillating. With each art-adorned chapter of The Yellow Book: Volume II , discerning drinkers are encouraged to explore the clandestine world of art and literature that inspired him, through the vehicle of drinks.

What came to be known as “the Aubrey Woman” were revolutionary feminine figures that subverted Victorian rules of decorum set by academic painters of the era; similarly, within the new volume of The Yellow Book guests can expect to see the feminine take centre stage.

CHAPTER I – AUBREY’S MYTHOLOGICAL WOMEN

The book opens with provocative illustrations that portray mythological heroines from the Classical period, depicting them as autonomous individuals, empowered by their nude form.

Guests can opt for the Medusa, an aromatic drink made of Rice shochu, vanilla syrup, clarified yoghurt, passion fruit and lime, mixed with The Aubrey’s own-label champagne. Capturing the essence of Medusa’s cautionary tale, the drink is an expression of the bold and beautiful coming together in one potent cocktail. Alternatively, opt for the Sex Strike, so-called after the sex rebellion, led by Lysistrata in an effort to end the ongoing Peloponnesian War. The cocktail blends Roku gin, yuzu liqueur, quinine and lime leaf cordian with peychaud’s bitters.

CHAPTER II - SHUNGA: A PRODUCT OF URBAN ART

Beardsley was heavily inspired by Shunga Art, in which Japanese-inspired content was often intertwined with recognisable Western images, filtered through the Beardsley lens of unconventionality and eroticism.

Here the menu offers a selection of drinks that draw inspiration from Japanese tradition, featuring Senden which is a sharp and spicy drink, made using The Balvenie 12 Year Old Double Wood and Spicy Yuzu Soda. The menu also features Nijji, a light, fresh and herbal cocktail concocted from the Japanese word ‘rainbow’, to symbolise the hope, diversity and inclusivity of the LGBTQ+ experience.

CHAPTER III - THE AESTHETIC OF ART NOUVEAU

This chapter is all about The Aubrey’s own take on the ‘Aesthetic’ in drinks, with theatrical and interactive presentations, embodying the quintessential decadence of Aubrey Beardsley’s style.

Made from chamomile infused East 135, ginger honey water, Akashi Tai Yuzushu, Italicus and Gochujang paint, the Mabel cocktail is designed to share, inspired by the relationship between Aubrey and his sister, Mabel. Oscar Wilde described the pair as being opposites; the intensity of their relationship is reflected in the drink’s sharp flavour profile and its strong aromatic finish.

CHAPTER IV - NON-ALCOHOLIC COCKTAILS & THE AUBREY’S MOST ICONIC DRAWINGS

The menu closes with a selection of non-alcoholic drinks which have been specially crafted to celebrate some of Aubrey’s most iconic drawings. Amongst them, drinks such as The Dream, made with Everleaf Marine, Edi CBD oil and Shisho soda; and Among the Trees which offers a fruity drink with a bitter finish, made from Amarico, Aromatic n/a amaro, BelliNO and Bergamot perfume.

For more press information please email aliyah@gemmabellandcompany.com