Mr Lyan Studio Provides Bar Consultancy for Cliff Weligama, Sri Lanka.

How can the restaurant translate its landscape, produce and culture into its beverage identity?

The Cliff Weligama, a beautiful cliff top destination on Sri Lanka’s southern coast, invited Mr Lyan Studio to collaborate with its bar team on a cocktail programme that could both honour the island’s incredible produce and elevate the guest experience across a wide and varied resort space. The team sought a menu that felt rooted in Sri Lankan culture, created cohesion with the food offering and could be delivered consistently at scale.

The project focused on creating a beverage programme that felt authentically connected to its surroundings, while strengthening the relationship between food and drink. The Cliff also wanted to empower the team with new skills, develop a culture of learning, navigate volatile supply chains, and position the resort as a world class food and drink destination. Alongside these goals, the programme needed to increase guest spend and ensure service could be delivered flawlessly across a dispersed site with multiple guest areas.

Our approach

Our approach combined deep on site immersion with structured remote learning. We spent time in markets and kitchens to understand the heritage of Sri Lankan flavours, explored the challenges around product sourcing and worked closely with the owners to understand what makes The Cliff distinctive. This informed a drinks philosophy centred on local partnerships, sustainable sourcing and elevated hospitality.

We also developed a remote training platform to build long term knowledge within the team, as well as clear systems and service structures to ensure consistency and efficiency during peak trade.

A Sri Lankan inspired programme that unites flavour, culture and hospitality.

The final programme showcased ingredients that have shaped Sri Lankan flavour for generations, including tart tamarind, aromatic curry leaf, kithul treacle from the Fish Tail Palm, earthy and sour wood apple nectar and funky ambarella. To avoid unreliable or expensive imports, we crafted bespoke local alternatives and reimagined classic cocktails using regionally sourced spirits from Rockland Distilleries.

Key elements of the solution included:

• A remote learning platform covering classic cocktails, spirits categories and applied skills

• Bespoke ingredients created from local produce to replace hard to source international products

• Guidance on equipment to improve bar efficiency and speed of service

• A curated glassware selection to balance premium feel with practical performance, including double walled highballs, side serve martini glasses and custom ceramic vessels

• A redeveloped sequence of service to reduce unnecessary touchpoints and improve guest flow

• Comprehensive SOPs covering hospitality, conflict resolution, brand reputation and dispense systems

• Detailed cocktail costing to support profitability without compromising quality

We supported the team through a mix of in person and remote activation, including:

• Collaborative development of the drinks direction, both in flavour and aesthetic

• Weekly training modules for management to deliver to the wider team

• Ingredient and equipment sourcing guidance, including the design of the custom ceramics

• Creation of video and photo content to support the online vision for the menu

• On site training in batching, bartending and service flow

• Hosting an industry event to increase local engagement and raise the profile of the resort

• On shift support during launch

• Comprehensive training notes covering menu tastings, food pairings, the wine list and the back bar

Impact

The new programme created a richer sense of place by celebrating the ingredients, artisans and traditions that define Sri Lankan flavour. It strengthened cohesion between the food and beverage offering, empowered the team through structured learning and delivered a more seamless service experience across the resort. By improving consistency, elevating storytelling and supporting operational efficiency, the project helped grow The Cliff’s reputation as a destination for world class hospitality while increasing guest spend and long term commercial sustainability.