Chef Ian Ward

Partner/ Mixologist, Snake Oil Cocktail Co.

Ian’s culinary roots were formed in his native New York, where he trained under famed Chef Massimiliano Bartoli. Upon moving to San Diego, Ward took up work at the historic Hotel Del Coronado where he helped revamp their cocktail list. Ward, was then given the opportunity to design the bar program at La Jolla’s Whisknladle, recently named one of the world’s hottest restaurants by Condé Nast. It was at Whisknladle where Ward refined his approach toward culinary cocktails. After gaining notoriety for being one of the country’s top up-and-coming mixologists, Ian decided to form his own consulting firm, Snake Oil Cocktail Co., with fellow Mixologist, Lucien Conner and Events Specialist, Michael Esposito. After just a few months in operation, Snake Oil Cocktail Co. has already proven a huge success with cocktails designed for The Sundance Film Festival; The Concours d’ Elegance; Searsucker Restaurant with Top Chef’s Brian Malarkey; and Quality Social with James Beard nominated Chef Jared Van Camp. Ward, has been named “Best Mixologist” in San Diego by numerous industry magazines and was recently inducted into the San Diego chef consortium, Cooks Confab!, for his creativity and passion for designing culinary cocktails.