Natasha Chetiyawardana, co-founder of innovation consultancy Bow & Arrow, now part of Accenture Song, has developed and designed a canned cocktail range with Mr Lyan – the world-renowned bartender, mixologist and bar owner – and canned cocktail company Whitebox Cocktails which will be exclusively available at Selfridges.
Mr Lyan x Whitebox
Mr Lyan x Whitebox is a limited edition collection of three cocktails: Beeswax Old Fashioned, Stonewashed Cosmo and Bulletproof Espresso Martini.
It has been developed and designed by Chetiyawardana and Mr Lyan, a.k.a. Ryan Chetiyawardana – her brother – and is the first time some of the incredible ingredients and unusual cocktails Mr Lyan is known for will be available outside his bars.
The design was led by Chetiyawardana, who drew the name of each cocktail in a style to suit the personality of each drink.
She has combined a muted colour palette, which makes the range perfectly at home at a house party as well as at the dining table, also using silver to catch the light.
The range also uses a typeface created by typographer Seb McLauchlan called GinTo – appropriately named after gin and tonic.
The siblings previously launched White Lyan – Mr Lyan’s bar in Hoxton, London – in 2013, and the venue quickly proved itself a magnet for discerning drinks connoisseurs as well as the rich and famous, attracting celebrities including Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
They went on to launch a series of other bars, including Dandelyan, named the world’s best bar in The World’s 50 Brest Bars in 2018, and Lyaness, which received the same accolade in 2022.
They are also behind the Shoreditch bar Seed Library, which opened last year, Amsterdam’s Super Lyan and Silver Lyan in Washington DC.
Speaking about their latest collaboration, Chetiyawardana said: “A love of next level food and drink is what makes us so similar.
“We worked together on the cocktails and wanted the design to encompass that way of working together. We love doing innovative stuff, but it always needs to be fun.”
Mr Lyan added: “We’ve created these cocktails in a way that’s reminiscent of how we make recommendations in our bars – based on mood and occasion and how the cocktail can enhance that.
“We also wanted to encapsulate the fun that Natasha and I have working together on creating new ideas through the design of the cans. It’s a real collaboration on every level.”
Ben Iravani, co-founder of Whitebox Cocktails, said: “Mr Lyan and his team have dreamed up some of the most inspired and innovative cocktails of the past decade.
“It’s been a real honour to translate three of these famous serves into our signature ready-to-pour format, so for the first time, people can enjoy the full experience of a world-class cocktail anytime, anywhere.”
Mr Lyan x Whitebox will be available exclusively at Selfridges from 15 November.