Iain Griffiths

The Path

Australian bar training gave the early base: Iain Griffiths worked as a bartender in Brisbane, Australia, then as a bartender in Melbourne, Australia, and later as a bartender in Sydney, Australia. The route then moved to Bramble in Edinburgh, Scotland, before London, where the trade widened into development work as New Business Development Manager at Mr Lyan Ltd in London, England. London’s modern cocktail bar model is part of the record here: Griffiths became one half of the duo behind White Lyan in London, England, and one half of the duo behind Dandelyan in London, England. Today, Iain is owner of Bar Snack.

The Work Today

The current bar work is in New York City, where Griffiths is co-founder and owner of Bar Snack in the East Village. The room’s reference points are direct: a Midwest bar with a Santa Fe color palette. The drinks program keeps the register accessible without dropping technique, putting dressed-up classics for dressed-down people alongside expertly made cocktails, Guinness, and drinks like Twisted Tea. Waste-conscious cocktail practice is also part of the work. Beyond the East Village bar, he co-founded Trash Collective, formerly known as Trash Tiki, and launched Trash Tiki with Kelsey Ramage.

Signature

The named drinks attached to Iain's work include Carta Switchel and Split Ends.

In Their Words “In essence, I run the back of house for everything that is Mr Lyan. Ryan is the face of the business and then creatively he and I work on everything together.”

Acclaim

The awards record includes Best New International Cocktail Bar for Dandelyan (2015) and Best New International Cocktail Bar for White Lyan (2014).