Cocktail stories: The Mighty O., Silver Lyan
Silver Lyan in Washington DC creates a cocktail inspired by the resilience of the natural world.
*This feature was originally published in the October 2025 issue of The Spirits Business magazine.
It is difficult to imagine that anything good can come from war, but for Washington DC bar Silver Lyan’s latest menu, The Butterfly Effect, the team found inspiration in the unexpectedly positive effects of human conflict on the natural world.
“One of the things we found in a number of examples of people behaving badly towards each other is that it has created opportunities for the natural world to flourish,” explains general manager Alex Leidy. “Famously, Chernobyl is an example of a place that’s become deeply inhospitable to human beings, but there’s been this incredible resurgence of wildlife there. It turns out if you keep us out of somewhere, it’s a lot easier for the flora and fauna to thrive.”
This is mirrored in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea, which over the past 70 years has become the most biodiverse place on the Korean peninsula thanks to a lack of human interference. “Tonnes of endangered species and wildlife have thrived there because they aren’t being predated and intruded upon by us.”
Leidy explains that when it came to crafting The Mighty O. – a Whiskey Sour‐based cocktail – the team specifically looked at the surprising impact conflict has had on marine biology.
He says: “There’s been a lot of concern about declining coral reef spaces. They’re crucial for the ocean and the ecosystems outside of them. But one of the things that’s been a godsend in terms of rebuilding those coral reef ecosystems is sunken warships. These have turned out to be fantastic places for coral reef ecosystems to reestablish themselves.”
The drink is named after the first US naval ship that was intentionally sunk off the coast of the Gulf, and has since turned into a thriving coral reef.
“These things are remnants of our attempts to enforce violence on each other that have now become a new home for this beautiful, thriving ecosystem that is so crucial to life on Earth,” he adds.
To capture this story in a drink, the team researched Korean seaweed salads, and developed a cold infusion of wakame seaweed, forming its base. This is layered with apple cider vinegar, plum liqueur for marzipan notes, honey, and lemon for brightness. Turbo persimmon, which is an acid made in‐house and references the DMZ’s flourishing persimmon trees, is used for tartness.
To make Turbo persimmon, a small amount of naturally dropped deer antler is broken down with phosphoric acid to add minerality – symbolising the resurgence of wildlife. The coral‐shaped garnish and overall flavour profile are designed to evoke the buttery, savoury, and mineral qualities of a coral reef environment.
The Mighty O.
Ingredients:
30ml Monkey Shoulder
10ml Calvados
2.5ml Talisker
25ml Miyeok muchim cordial (cold-infused seaweed)*
5ml Turbo persimmon**
5ml Sesame tincture***
5ml Empirical Spirits The Plum, I Suppose
10ml Fresh lemon juice
Method: Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake well until fully chilled. Double strain into a Nick and Nora glass and garnish with a coral tuile (or a butter biscuit at a pinch).
*Miyeok muchim cordial
Steep 10g dried wakame in 500g room temperature filtered water for 30 minutes. Strain out the rehydrated seaweed, and squeeze to remove excess liquid. Discard the seaweed and weigh the resulting stock. Add an equal weight of white sugar and mix to combine into a seaweed syrup. Add 9% honey, 3% apple cider vinegar, and .3% kosher salt by weight, then stir to combine.
**Turbo persimmon
Combine one-part dried persimmon to 10-parts water in a vacuum bag, sous vide for 24 hours at 60ºC, then chill rapidly in an ice bath and strain. Weigh the resulting stock and add 2% citric acid and 1% malic acid by weight, stirring to combine.
***Sesame tincture
Combine one-part freshly toasted sesame seeds with 10-parts wheat vodka, sous vide for an hour at 60ºC, after which chill rapidly in an ice bath then strain out the sesame seeds. Place in freezer for 24 hours, then strain through a coffee filter.
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