Richard Wynne of Callooh Callay has taken over the running of Silk Stockings in Dalston.
The cocktail bar on Dalston Lane is owned by Damian Benjamin, who has enlisted Wynne on a short-term basis to allow him to focus on his east London pubs The Hemingway, The Hunter S and The Brave.
Having taken over operations last week, Wynne described the move as a “cameo gig” that, if successful, could be extended beyond the end of the year.
Wynne, who has run Callooh Callay in Shoreditch for 17 years, intends to reinvigorate the neighbourhood cocktail bar, championing classic pub games such as pool and darts, while re-establishing its cocktail credentials.
Wynne is “bringing in friends and colleagues” as part of his team, leaning on Callooh Callay’s operations manager and bar manager, Simone Crepaldi and Alessandro Foster respectively, to update the drinks menu.
The new menu sees twisted classics such as the Piña Colada Old Fashioned and Strawberry & Hibiscus Pink Lady, as well as “super-chilled Martinis”.
He told CLASS: “I’ve always loved Silk Stockings as a customer, so I’m looking forward to the challenge of updating the offering and pushing the brand forward. We have a killer playlist, banging drinks with a £1.50 oyster happy hour from 5pm–8pm.
“With hospitality in a bit of a rut right now, I’m really hoping to push Silk into 2026 as one of the leading bars on the London cocktail scene again.”