The man who convinced London that bartending is an art form has landed stateside. Mr Lyan is serving up drinks at his new outpost in NoMad that make you question everything you thought you knew about a martini.
High Priest of Mixology
“Mr Lyan” rolls off the tongue in a way that “Ryan Chetiyawardana” cannot quite match. Despite the pseudonym, he’s one and the same. This master drink-maker is also known as the ‘high priest of mixology.” Mr Lyan is a sensation in London and now New York City gets a taste.
A Seed Grew in London
In the basement of East London’s One Hundred Shoreditch Hotel, Mr Lyan’s Seed Library does unexpected cocktails that walk the line between weird and wonderful. His mixologist team famously experiments with daring ideas and a laboratory approach.
Snapshots of Mr Lyan Cocktails
For example, the Builder’s Martini is Grey Goose vodka blended with fermented milky Rare Tea Co. breakfast tea. There’s an adventurous Corn Yuzu Mule — yes, the hot sauce. A joyously sweet Nuka Cocktail is built around Maker’s Mark, quince ripened in a bed of microbes, aperitivo blend, and sunflower. Taking it up a notch, Vampire Fizz combines Don Julio Blanco, persimmon, Empirical Plum, lemon, soda, and enriched chicha packed with red quinoa, pumpkin seeds and macadamia.
Slightly simpler recipes may also be on the drinks menu. A summertime Pink + Green Daiquiri is based on frozen nitro grapes, although this does involve two days’ fermentation of the fruit. Of course, there’s the slightly cloudy, off-dry Unfiltered Martini made with Haku vodka, which Chetiyawardana says is one of his all-time favorites. And the refreshing Coriander Seed Gimlet is a classic signature drink in several Mr Lyan locations.
World’s Best Hotel Bars
Look in cool hotels in cool cities, including Amsterdam, to find a Mr Lyan outpost. It’s not by chance that his locations reflect the whimsy of where the drinks are served. For instance, the other U.S. location, Silver Lyan, is in the old vault of a former bank, now the boutique Riggs Hotel in Washington DC’s Penn Quarter.
In Manhattan, the first Mr Lyan bar in the city, Seed Library NYC is discreetly tucked into the lower ground floor of NoMad’s Hotel Park Ave NYC. Just look for the orange door on East 30th Street. The subterranean space channels the 60s with velvet seating and vinyl on the decks. And the new rooftop terrace bar, Golden Child, opens as soon as spring has finally sprung.
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FAQs
Q: Is there food at Seed Library NYC?
A: Yes, Seed Library NYC has a menu including cheese dip, crudité, oysters, tater tots, burgers, and more.
Q: Where is Seed Library NYC?
A: Seed Library NYC is in NoMad, downstairs at Hotel Park Ave NYC at 444 Park Avenue South (at East 30th Street). This is the former Mondrian Park Avenue.
Q: What are the hours at Seed Library NYC?
A: The bar is open Tuesday to Thursday plus Sunday from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. and on Friday and Saturday until 1 a.m.
