Columbus bartender featured in ‘Washington Post’

Oscar Leyva already landed on the cover of last summer’s Stock & Barrel, and this year, he’s going national.

The mixologist behind many of your favorite creations at both Lindey’s and The Lion, Leyva was recently featured in a Washington Post story in April about verdita, a “fruity, herby, spicy” and alcohol-free Mexican cocktail.

According to the story, Leyva (who was born in Mexico) grew up drinking verdita, which traditionally contains pineapple juice, lime juice, herbs and hot peppers, and the outlet tapped him as a source to learn more about the drink.

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“A native of Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Leyva has fond memories of drinking small glasses of this sweet and spicy drink as a child, while the adults in the room tossed it back with tequila or mixed it into beer, Michelada-style,” the story reads. “Behind the bar, Leyva now uses it as a component in alcoholic and nonalcoholic cocktails alike.”

The Washington Post story goes on to get some of Leyva’s tips and tricks for creating Verdita, and offers recipes for those who wish to try the drink themselves.

“My goal is always to exceed expectations and having traditional Hispanic flavors paired with more modern cocktail techniques helps me achieve that goal. On top of all that, it always makes me happy to be able to share a part of me and my culture and be able to see others love and enjoy it just as much as I do,” Leyva said. “ I was thrilled that the Washington Post loved it enough to write an article about it. It gives me the opportunity to share my love and passion, both for cocktails and my culture, with a much wider and national audience.”

To read more about Oscar and his drinks, check out the Summer 2024 issue of Stock & Barrel.

Want to read more? Check out our print publications, (614) Magazine and Stock & Barrel. Learn where you can find free copies of our newest issues here!

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