The International Bartender of the Year tells us where and what to drink.
When you want the inside scoop on what bartenders drink when they’re off the clock, there’s no one better to ask than Ryan Chetiyawardana, a.k.a. Mr. Lyan. The 31-year old London-based mixology master was just anointed the International Bartender of the Year at this year’s Tales of the Cocktail’s Spirited Awards and runs two of the best drinking holes in the world: White Lyan, his East End bar (don’t miss the bone-dry martini, made from Mr. Lyan’s own spirits) and Dandelyan at the Mondrian London, which not incidentally won this year’s title for Best New International Cocktail Bar.
We asked Chetiyawardana to tell us his five favorite spots around the globe and what we should order at each one.
What to Drink:
A can of Coors Banquet and a “Pink Dark N Stormy”: one of owners Sam Ross and Michael McIlroy’s “signature twisted classics.”
What to Drink:
“An 'Ebony'—Zacapa Rum 23, roots, and fermented local herbs.”
What to Drink:
A “Trident,” made by acclaimed bartender Mario Kappes with “local(!) Aquavit, vermouth, and Cynar.”
What to Drink:
A nip of Mike Aikman's “world-class liqueurs (all of them)” and “a Piña Colahaar—a smoky twist on a colada using Ardbeg, with a smoky 'haar' over the top.”
What to Drink:
“A rye and freshly pressed apple.” Or ask the staff—preferably Lewis Jaffrey or Steve Crozier, notes Chetiyawardana—for a delicious whiskey.
Can’t make it to Scotland, Sydney, or London? Try Mr. Lyan's bottled cocktails, like the Diamond Rickey or the Candlelit Manhattan, via Selfridges, the Whisky Exchange, or Master of Malt.
