Liquid To Life- Lynnette Marrero & Ryan Chetiyawardana Teach Mixology

The two people who make cocktails sound like magic at any time of the day are Lynnette Marrero and Ryan Chetiyawardana. Lynnette is widely regarded as one of the pioneer female cocktail-specific bartenders in her industry and is known for creating the world's first all-female speed bartending competition, Speed Rack. On the other hand, Mr Lyan Studio 's Ryan Chetiyawardana is a world-renowned mixologist and bar owner who is celebrated around the world for his inventive cocktail menus and magic way with a shaker.

Their MasterClass was an experiment for me to understand how the simple things can be turned into a signature of a person just by being involved in the process. With a class that teaches mixology, these are 3 things of mixology that convey a lot of personality when it comes to the importance of drinks. By the end, you might just ask yourself ‘how your bar skills will set a bar for you from a personal standpoint’.

Solo Starters

It is not meant to be just literal, you know? When the two experts explained their take on solo starters, it really captured what they have in mind when they offer it to a person. I found this interesting because with a drink, you introduce a state of mind and that’s what the solo starters achieve to do.

In the case of two drinks that were shared in this session, which were Mojitos and Whiskey Smash, each time created an atmosphere, one, for vacation vibes with a tropical fix and the other, described as a “aromatic marriage” between the rustic Mint Julep and a classic Whiskey Sour. Such creative twists of ingredients not only set a mood but also make the visualizing factor go up.?

Intimate Classics

The Old Fashioned was once considered a simple way to elevate spirits of poor quality into something palatable. They did the balancing act of sweet, strong, and bitter. For me, this connected how drinks become a ‘conversation starter’, when they stir up all the emotions of a person with its mixture.

Fancy Free is another example that explains the start of cocktail renaissances in 19th century America. The interplay between European and American spirits became the crux of how cocktails were innovated into the 20th century. This really made the evolution of classics an intimate one.

Celebratory Libations

While batched cocktails are a welcome surprise for most guests, especially one where attention can be put towards the social aspect of the room, the tradition of punch predates the concept of a single-serving cocktail. A? punch satisfies five main components: spice, strong, weak, citrus, and sweet (which already sounds like a room full of people).

This session really seemed to have a lot of positive associations for the instructors as Ryan and Lynnette created the recipes for Bottled Fizz and Llama Del Rey Punch. The role of these two drinks add a unique character to the celebration among many others. The process to make these is simple yet significant just like each celebration should be.

I am very happy to say that such a Masterclass has given me a chance to learn more about things while still knowing it, in a way that is refreshing. Never thought two talented mixologists could evolve my perspective like that. These sessions made the art of mixology an interesting one and not just for the purpose of drinking, but for mirroring life in a glass of drink.?