Atlanta’s Ian Cox of The Luminary Talks Mixology, Hangover Cures and More

The Luminary, a French American Brasserie that has recently opened in the still-not-fully-open Krog Street Market in Atlanta, is poised to be one of the new must-try date night spots – especially if Head Bartender Ian Cox continues whipping up drinks like he did when we chatted with him.

Ian, who got started bartending in college, has quite the background in the field. Not only is he a Certified Specialist in Spirits (CSS) and graduate of the Bar Smarts program (a requirement of all The Luminary bartenders), but he also currently holds the title of Bombay Sapphire’s “Most Imaginative Bartender” for the Atlanta area (which was hosted by the United States Bartenders’ Guild). Ian be traveling to Las Vegas next month to compete for the title of “Nation’s Most Imaginative Bartender,” a title that results in a cover feature of GQ magazine’s “Men of the Year” December 2014 issue and will guarantee him a spot as the US representative in the 2015 Global Finals.

When it comes to how he thought up his winning “La Dame du Loc” drink, which consists of Drambuie and Martini and Rossi bianco, he said, “In our cocktail lab, they were always focused on “Show us who you are. Tell us who you are.” Well, I’m a big hairy Scottish guy, who works at a French restaurant. So all the products in [the drink] are either French or Scottish-inspired… The pastis is French, the vermouth is French, and the drambuie is Scottish… Everything is meant to highlight a flavor inside of the gin.” (We were fortunate enough to try the drink and would highly recommend it. Our Editor-in-Chief Emma Loggins isn’t even a gin person, but she loved it as well. I’ll warn you though… it sneaks up on you!)

No one would know a better hangover cure than the one responsible for the hangovers, so when we asked him about what he’d suggest for the person that got a little too turnt up the night before, he said, “Bloody Mary. I make Bloody Mary’s when we all hang out at home, especially at the beach. I can’t get out the house without making a Bloody Mary… Even on my sister’s wedding day they had me making Bloody Mary’s for everybody. I made about 1000 Bloody Mary’s that day.”

Find out what other secrets Ian let us in on and watch him mix up some delicious drinks in the full interview below!

If you’re in town be sure to stop by The Luminary, and get Ian to mix you up his famed “La Dame du Loc”. The food is great, the service is pleasant and there’s nothing better than someone with a passion for mixology handling your drinks. You certainly won’t regret it!

Photo Credit: The Luminary
Video Credit: Emma Loggins/FanBolt