‘Mr Lyan’ creates original spiced cocktails for Cinnamon Bazaar

Mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana, aka Mr. Lyan, has created a new cocktail list for new casual dining site Cinnamon Bazaar, which executive chef Vivek Singh is set to open in London’s Covent Garden on 1 December.

Chetiyawardana is best known for his award-winning bars Dandelyan in the Mondrian Hotel, and the White Lyan in Hoxton, as well as his own retail range of five bottled cocktails.

The original cocktails start at £8 each, and have been designed to pair with the food menu. They will include flavours such as carrot-infused gin with curry leaf, and spices such as ginger and cinnamon.

The signature cocktail will be the Masala Coke Float, with aged rum, masala cola, and masala ice cream. Other choices will include the Makhani Gin Fizz, with gin, cream, saffron tincture, almond, lemon, egg white and soda; and the Bazaar Old Fashioned, with ‘coconut washed’ Indian Scotch, coconut sugar, and burnt cinnamon.

Inspired by the marketplaces of the old imperial trading routes, and the fourth restaurant in Singh’s London-based Cinnamon Collection, the 90-cover Cinnamon Bazaar will serve modern Indian plates for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with an average spend of £20 per person.

Typical dishes will include Indo-Chinese chicken wings with burnt chilli dip, and ‘Malabar boatman’s’ haddock curry.

The Maiden Lane venue joins the flagship, Michelin-starred Cinnamon Club in Westminster, Cinnamon Kitchen in Devonshire Square, and Cinnamon Soho on Kingly Street.

The Cinnamon Collection was sold to Boparan Restaurant Holdings in January this year, and has plans to imminently roll out the Cinnamon Kitchen and Cinnamon Soho brands beyond London.

Commenting on the new cocktails, Chetiyawardana said: “Teaming up with [Singh] on this project was great fun. The concept of Cinnamon Bazaar is incredibly playful with so many flavour possibilities, so creating the cocktails was exciting.” 

Group executive chef and chief executive Singh, who is also well known for his cookery books and TV appearances, added: “I knew Ryan would come up with an amazing list and he hasn’t disappointed. The cocktails are unique, interesting and pair perfectly with the market-inspired dishes on our menu.”