Kyle Ackley was born in Tacoma, WA and grew up in the greater Seattle area. After college, he moved to Los Angeles and immediately got his first bartending job in Malibu, despite having no experience behind a bar. After learning the basics Kyle then started to bartend at the Cameo Bar at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica. Despite the high volume, Kyle always found the time to experiment with mixology and cocktail development.
His next stint involved opening and establishing the bar program at Gordon Ramsey West Hollywood at the London Hotel. It was here Kyle began learning more about the classics, and played off of that knowledge in helping to create the cocktail menu. It was not too long before he was given the opportunity to open XIV by Michael Mina, a highly anticipated restaurant on Sunset Blvd. As the lead bartender and mixologist at XIV, he has created a menu that pays homage to the classics while using fresh, seasonal ingredients. You can still find Kyle behind the bar at XIV in West Hollywood every weekend.
