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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Joanna Taylor

Meet the cocktail king: How Mr Lyan changed London’s drinking culture for the better

Every so often a person arrives who does more to change the landscape of London than most MPs, and Ryan Chetiyawardana is one of them.

Otherwise known as Mr Lyan, he’s what you might call a disruptor. You see, Chetiyawardana is the brains behind White Lyan, a bar that still looms large over the capital’s hospitality scene despite the fact it closed in 2017. A cocktail enthusiast’s equivalent of the 1966 World Cup — even those who hadn’t seen it speak about it in awe. Though you might recognise him for his other exploits because since then he’s gone on to open Dandelyan, Cub, Lyaness and Seed Library here, as well as Silver Lyan in Washington, DC, and Super Lyan in Amsterdam. Plus, he’s behind countless pop-ups, a masterclass series, two books and regularly collaborates with brands via Mr Lyan Studio.

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