Fancy A Chicken Negroni? This Is London’s Quirkiest New Cocktail Menu

Ryan Chetiyawardana, widely known as Mr Lyan, is one of the world’s most decorated bartenders. He has spent the past decade honing his cocktail craft, opening a number of unique bars and pioneering trends along the way. His latest project? A new menu for Bébé Bob, the relaxed younger sister of Soho stalwart Bob Bob Ricard.

Mr Lyan Has Created A New Cocktail Menu For Bébé Bob

The offering captures the fun side of both brands, focusing on creative twists on classic serves. Instead of a Kir Royale, for instance, there’s a Frites Royale – a homage to Bébé Bob’s beloved pairing: French fries with a glass of champagne. The Bébé Lyan Martini, meanwhile, is made with Amalfi lemon and frozen vodka, served with your choice of garnish (either lemon twist, or olives and pickles). 

Also on offer is a Chicken Bone Negroni, inspired by the famed Bloodshot cocktail created at one of Chetiyawardana’s venues, Super Lyan. This is made with No. 3 Gin, Campari, strawberry aperitif and – the secret ingredient – roasted chicken bone. Sounds strange, but apparently it works. For something a little more mainstream, there’s a Red Apple Spritz made with redcurrant Aperol, Somerset cider brandy, and apricot and white grape soda. A selection of non-alcoholic cocktails are also available. 

These quirky tipples are designed to be enjoyed alongside a new snacks menu, centred around chicken and caviar. Tuck into ‘schnuggets’, golden chicken schnitzel nuggets, topped with caviar or trout roe, or one of the unique doughnuts. One is filled with roast chicken curd and sprinkled with crackling, another is filled with lemon curd and topped with sugar and Oscietra caviar.

On the a la carte menu, rotisserie chicken will continue to be the main focus, but the team have added a chicken schnitzel dish too, breadcrumbed in Japanese panko and served with a parsley and garlic butter.

Speaking about the collaboration, Chetiyawardana said: ‘Bébé Bob became a firm favourite of Alex and I after we went down on the invitation of some friends for “champagne, chicken and caviar” (that’s what our calendar invitation excitedly promised too), and we were so impressed by the uniqueness and confidence of the restaurant. It’s become a regular haunt for us since, and so we were really excited when Leonid wanted to chat to us about trying to bring a similar boldness to the cocktail offering.’

Chetiyawardana opened his first bar in London in 2013, White Lyan. It was the first cocktail bar in the world to use no perishables, no fruit and no ice, with a focus on cutting waste and innovative ingredients. Since then, he has opened a string of buzzy cocktail spots, including Lyaness at Sea Containers London, and Seed Library in Shoreditch.