Mr Lyan Studio was back this year at Tales of the Cocktails, with two seminars exploring the two different markets, and how best to understand them. 

Founded in 2002, Tales of the Cocktails has grown to be one of the biggest cocktail festivals in the world, with a week of seminars, events, tasting, showcases from bars and brands, and an awards ceremony celebrating bars, media and people in the industry around the world. 

Mr Lyan Studio’s Managing Director Bob Conwell lead a discussion with Imme Ermgassen, founder of Botivo, titled ‘Beyond Moderation: A Creative and Commercial Re-Think of No & Low’ 

This is a well-established category, yet many brands and venue operators still treat it as a secondary concern framed around moderation rather than as part of a wider drinks ecosystem. This session will examine ten common industry misconceptions that are limiting growth and guest uptake. It will challenge the idea that non-alc drinks are a threat to the alcohol industry.

Anna Sulan Masing, Mr Lyan Studio’s Brand Strategy Director, chaired a discussion on the South East Asian bar scene, in conversation with Koh Yung Shen, founder of Backdoor Bodega in Malaysia, and Penang Cocktail Week. 

Titled ‘A New Deliciousness: South East Asia’s Growing Bar Scene’, the discussion looked at the region’s fast developing bar scene. They discussed how the South East Asian bar industry is challenging notions of the classic cocktails, and finding ways to use local ingredients and traditional techniques. It also looked at the region’s ability to have a global outlook whilst reflecting and celebrating local flavours and stories, and what the future holds in this region.