#iancox

This past weekend, I took a class at the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival that focused on beer cocktails with Ian Cox of Wrecking Bar and Hillary Choo, National Ambassador of St-Germain. They taught us about how beers can be used as a major ingredient in cocktails, bringing out it's flavors by the use of spirits and liqueurs. They provided three different style beers (gose, ipa, lager) and created three unique and tasty cocktails. 

Hillary & Ian kicking off the class!

From left to right:

Ian Cox is the Beverage Manager and Assistant GM at Wrecking Bar Brewpub, a beautiful space on Moreland Ave. in Atlanta. Aside from being a gentleman, he is also a kickass bartender with extensive knowledge of bourbons and ryes and more. I got a glimpse of a special shelf that carries spirits some would drool over. He also competes with some of his cocktail creations. Just last month he was competing at the USBG National Championship in Las Vegas. Give Ian a visit and soak up as much knowledge as you can. 

Where are you from and what brought you to Atlanta?   I was actually born here in Atlanta however I grew up in Raleigh, NC.  I’ve actually bartended in multiple cities across the country and all of them bring their own unique experiences.  I spent 4 years in Chapel Hill, NC running a high volume college bar called Pantana Bob’s.  Afterwards I spent about 6 months on Topsail Island, NC working at a beach bar which actually led to me moving to Crested Butte, CO to work at the Ice Bar at Uley’s Cabin for the ski resort.  It’s funny how each of these cities, even though they are small, are still very similar to Atlanta in that they each bring a small town vibe to your bar.  In a city of 6 million people I still see the same amount of regulars I saw in Crested Butte, which is a town of 1,500.

What do you love most about Atlanta? The community.  I’ve never seen a city where the bartenders gather to support and help each other.    

What are you looking forward to most in 2014? Seeing where this city goes.  Atlanta is a cocktail culture on the rise and we’re just getting stronger.

Are you traveling anywhere this year that you’d like to share? I actually just returned from Las Vegas where I finished 3rd in the USBG National Championship at the Shake It Up cocktail competition.  Other than that, the other trip I am extremely excited about is to Tales of the Cocktails in New Orleans.  I’ve never been and have always heard it is the best time.

What time do you usually wake up in the morning? I am one of the rare bartenders that wakes up early in the day.  As well as being the beverage manager at the Wrecking Bar, I am also the Asst. GM so my day starts around 9:30am typically.  Even if I can sleep in it’s rare for me to sleep past 10. Do you see yourself as a Bartender or Mixologist? What differentiates the two? Definitely a bartender.  I may upset some people, but in my opinion a mixologist was a term created for bartenders who were ashamed to call themselves bartenders.  Embrace it!  It’s not a profession that is frowned upon anymore.

What was your introduction to cocktails? It really started in Crested Butte when I was invited to participate in the Bar Smarts program.  Learning how it was done before prohibition, when they were doing things the right way, really opened my eyes to the cocktail scene.  Then moving to Atlanta and beginning to work at the Wrecking Bar allowed me to refine my craft to where it is today.

Where do you draw your inspiration from? Any mentors along the way? I’m a classic guy.  I love pre-prohibition/prohibition style drinks.  There is a reason why we are still drinking these cocktails today.  They are amazing.  When it comes to mentors I would definitely not be where I am today without my GM Stevenson Rosslow as well as our local Bacardi brand ambassador Scott Mayer.  The two of them have helped me to become the bartender I am today.  That and just going to the great bars we have in the area and just watching the fantastic amount of talent we have across the city.

What is one of your favorite cocktails made by someone else? The last time I went out I remember being floored by The White Lion at Kimball House.  Taking a sip and just going “WOW”  It’s tough to make a drink where Absinthe is the base be that well balanced.

What is one of your favorite cocktails made by you? I love my drink the Liquid Longjohns.  It started as a spin on the Sazerac that turned into something else entirely.  A Laphroig rinse on the glass & ice, Rittenhouse 100 rye whiskey, Barenjaeger, Drambui, Amaro Averna & Jerry Thomas bitters.  Definitely a delicious well balanced (and boozy) cocktail.

Where are some of your favorite places for cocktails (local or not)? I think just saying Decatur pretty much sums it up.  You have 2 of the most talented barmen in our industry in Paul at Paper Plan as well as Miles at Kimball House.  Then of course you can’t go wrong getting a cocktail at Leon’s of letting Julian stir one up for you at Pinewood .

What is the most difficult cocktail ingredient to pronounce? I would probably have to say, especially when you are rattling out ingredients, Maraschino doesn’t flow off the tongue all that well.