095 - Micah LeMon The Alley Light The Imbible

Edacious

Cocktail Work. With History, Great Local Ingredients, and That Elusive Yummy Factor. Welcome to Edacious! In Episode 95 we talk with bartending master Micah LeMon of The Alley Light. Having enjoyed many a fine adult beverage up their back stairs it was great to finally sit down and chat about Prohibition, the evolution of bartending, current trends, and his new book, The Imbible.

We talk a lot about the difference between good cocktails and great ones. Micah truly believes in striving to achieve that benchmark. That moment you take the first sip and proclaim your drink YUMMY beyond all measure. What makes a cocktail yummy? What doesn't? He takes me to school. The Doctor's Orders cocktail I sipped on through the entire episode was very yummy indeed.

Micah's first book, The Imbible, is a labor of love and libation. Not only does it include history, recipes, and technique, but Micah provides basic tables so you too can become a Master Mixologist within the confines of your own bar cart. Micah will be mixing cocktails and offering up advice at The Spice Diva, Wednesday, March 21st from 6-7pm as part of the Virginia Festival of the Book.

The Imbible is perfect for the beginning mixologist in that he takes classics like the Manhattan and the Daiquiri and shows perfect technique before offering suggestions as to how folks can create their own personalized beverages. Crawl before you can walk. And after some of these, you might be crawling. Micah's book shows you how, unlike those old recipe books which give you an ingredient list and leave you to your own devices. The Imbible acts as a bridge between old-school cocktails and the fancy 15-ingredient craft cocktails that are so prevalent today, although those old recipes are making a comeback at area bars, including The Alley Light, which makes a damn good classic daiquiri. Not from a machine. Served in a proper daiquiri glass.

Gorgeous photos, cocktail history, technique, the components of a good cocktail and detailed tables in the back that help aspiring mixologists get started on their own programs. How does Mr. Potato Head fit into the equation? Buy the book!

How did Micah become the pre-eminent Curator of Cocktail Knowledge in the Charlottesville area? His background is fascinating considering he was raised Pentecostal, which prohibits alcohol. How does the documentary Jesus Camp fit into his story? The SNL Church Lady? You'll just have to listen.

It shocked me that someone so obviously good at what he does suffers from Imposter Syndrome as I do. We talk about that, including what methods we use to overcome it. How does he develop his recipes? What is The Dealer's Choice? How is a mixologist like a chef? Why is mentorship important? How did the book come about? And what about his recent bout with Tennis Elbow? Recorded in The Wine Room at the Alley Light while sipping a Doctor's Orders cocktail. Which worked so well I don't quite remember the last 15 minutes of the episode. What did I say? Give a listen!

Micah will be appearing as part of the Virginia Festival of the Book on Wednesday, March 21st from 6-7pm at The Spice Diva. From the Book Fest website, "Micah will give a demonstration of various and sundry recipes from his cocktail guide, sharing anecdotes and wisdom from his years behind the bar at beloved local watering holes." Don't miss it!

SHOW NOTES – Links to resources talked about during the podcast:

• Why Food Writing Matters! - I'm teaching a course as part of the Tom Tom Founder's Festival! Come be a part of the fun! Tuesday, April 10th from 7-9pm at The Pie Chest. We'll talk food writing, do some fun creative exercises, give away huge amounts of food writing books, and eat pie. Lots and lots of pie. Don't miss this chance to GET EDACIOUS!
• Goat Snuggling - Every Sunday through Mother's Day, Caromont Farm will be snuggling goats and passing the hat as part of their DACA initiative to make sure their employees are safe. Come participate in this important community effort.
• Ian Glomski of Vitae Spirits - This fine fellow is collaborating with Micah on creating an ABSINTHE. YES! Sign me up.
• No'lasses - Sorghum whiskey. It's quite delish.
• The Spice Diva - A one-stop shop for all of your fancy cocktail ingredients like bitters.
• Subscribe to This Podcast. Stay Edacious! - Come on, after this episode? You know you want to. Subscribers get new episodes instantly, while non-subscribers have to wait a few hours or days depending on the iTunes gods. Never miss a chance to be edacious!
• Subscribe to Edacious News - Never miss a food event in our area! Learn about regional and national food stories so you can stay edacious!
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