COLUMBIA — Grant McCloskey, a Columbia bartender who’s concocted, shaken, and poured craft cocktails around the Capital City for nearly a decade, is leaving Columbia for Philadelphia, he shared in a post on social media Sept. 6.
McCloskey made a name for himself starting and leading the bar program at Ratio, a small plates restaurant in Elgin focused on Peruvian cuisine, after leaving his post as the bar manager of The Aristocrat in downtown Columbia. He left Ratio for The Hollow, a new Vista restaurant, in March.
“I’m excited because it’s another challenge, it’s another opportunity to see where my ceiling is and to push what I’m doing, push myself a lot harder than I am right now,” McCloskey told Free Times.
The Columbia native garnered attention for Ratio when he helped open the restaurant alongside chef-owner Javier Uriarte. The pair opened in late 2020, as the dining industry had been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
But despite that, the restaurant quickly gained popularity in northeast Columbia, along Spears Creek Church Road, as Uriarte cranked out unique tapas and McCloskey curated an impressive drink program.
“He definitely opened my eyes to trying new drinks,” Uriarte said. “Apart from him being talented enough to be able to do different cocktails, he had the heart for the knowledge … I see him doing great things because of that.”
McCloskey got his start behind the bar at West Columbia’s Cafe Strudel in 2016. He left, briefly, to work and live in Austin, Texas, before returning to lead the bar at The Aristocrat.
He came up during a time when Columbia’s craft cocktail scene was growing — with prominent names like David Adedokun who now leads The Dragon Room, and Jake Smith, who led Motor Supply Co. Bistro before leaving in 2021, delving into newer ideas and fresher concepts.
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