Cocktail maestro Ryan Chetiyawardana – known as Mr Lyan – has announced that his new London bar, Seed Library, will open its doors this March. The venue is located within the new hotel One Hundred Shoreditch, marking the award-winning bartender’s return to East London, where he opened his first bar, White Lyan, in 2013.
The new basement bar will have a lo-fi, analogue approach to bartending, channeling a stripped-back approach inspired by the origins of classic cocktails and the history of alternative flavour sources.
The cocktail list will change regularly to feature fresh takes on classic concoctions. Highlights from the launch menu include ‘Curry Leaf Stonefence’, which uses the herbal aromatics of curry leaf to highlight the greener side of a white rum, and ‘Sancho Leaf Martini’, which features the floral-spiced citrus profile of szechuan leaf instead of the classic olive or citrus zest. Guests will also be able to choose from a curated list of low-intervention wines, and a range of beers from craft brewers. Sharing snacks and seasonal dishes, including plates from guest chefs, will be on offer to soak up the drinks.
Chetiyawardana, who will oversee the bar with the Mr Lyan bar Group’s global brand director Alex Lawrence, said: “The project is really exciting for us too as it provides the opportunity to explore a totally different facet of our philosophy – giving a creative route for the team and I to really challenge ourselves and the Western approach to bartending, and to create a bar that is very much reflective of the spaces where we’d want to hang out!”
General manager Stevie Kane and head bartender Dan Garnell will be in charge of day-to-day operations at the bar, which will have a relaxed, neighbourhood feel and encourages walk-ins. The interior, designed by Lore Group Creative Director Jacu Strauss, feature panelled wood and bespoke furniture upholstered in sultry orange and red tones.
The Mr Lyan Bar Group includes Lyaness at the Sea Containers hotel in London, as well as the Mr Lyan Studio in London, Super Lyan in Amsterdam and Silver Lyan in Washington DC.
