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Rob Campbell, General Manager at Castle Hill Cidery, Don Whitaker, Cider Maker at Castle Hill Cidery, and Micah LeMon, Bar Manager at The Alley Light, joined Alex Urpí & Xavier Urpí On “Today y Mañana!” “Today y Mañana” airs every Thursday at 10:15 am on The I Love CVille Network! “Today y Mañana” is presented by Forward Adelante, Emergent Financial Services, LLC, Cristel Noel State Farm Agency and C'ville Picnic.
Personal Records is back with new episodes, beginning with this conversation with Micah Lemon about the 1995 classic, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. But first, Scott and Micah talk about growing up with contemporary Christian music, breaking CDs, and Micah's mom getting hit on by Carman. For more information, go to speakcies.com/personalrecords.
Micah Lemon, Bar Manager of Charlottesville's stand-out restaurant, The Alley Light, joins the show again to explain the fascinating and surprising history of the terms, "Cocktail" and "Gin Up." Joined by friend Eric Neff, the guys enjoy some of Micah's libations while learning the shocking details of just exactly how ginger and horses connect to tasty adult beverages. Also, find out how rap has a crucial role to play in all of this. Listen now to hear all about "The Singapore Sling," "Gingering," and "Heppy D & The Boyz." Go to speakcies.com/micahlemon to learn more about Micah and his book, The Imbible.
Scott and Steve are road-tripping from Richmond to Charlottesville, VA, home of Monticello, Mr. Jefferson's University and great restaurants like the James Beard-nominated, The Alley Light. In the second episode with Micah Lemon, Scott gripes about "society" and "young people," before Micah weaves a tale of drugs, prohibition and tinctures that somehow makes it way to the origins of the term "86" in the restaurant industry. Our buddy Eric Neff pops in to add some color to this one as well. Tune in for this very Charlottesville episode, and it's guaranteed you will learn many things, as we did.
Scott and Steve are road-tripping from Richmond to Charlottesville, VA, home of Monticello, Mr. Jefferson's University and great restaurants like the James Beard-nominated, The Alley Light. In the first of two episodes with The Alley Light's bar manager, Micah Lemon, the guys talk occupational hazards of being a bartender and the criminally underrated "Three Amigos," before Micah drops some serious knowledge behind the idiom, "No Free Lunches." Spoiler alert: it involves booze. Get your playlist ready and grab some snacks for part 1 of our Charlottesville road trip.
I think Micah LeMon, bar manager at the James Beard Award–nominated Alley Light in Charlotttesville, VA, wants us to slow down and take a beat, probably over a lovely, stirred cocktail in a fancy glass. On the day we recorded a few months ago, I was at high-energy, just starting Charleston Wine + Food, and I went and collected Micah from the book signing tent to have a chat. Despite all the people buzzing about (literally and figuratively) and despite the fact I chose a room at the Embassy Suites next to the hotel kitchen -- aka, you’ll hear all kinds of ambient noise in this one, including a vacuum down the hallway -- Micah was cool and calm like he’d just left a yoga retreat. We soon delved deep into a chat about cocktails and balance of flavors, and he proved that he really has a scholar’s encyclopedic knowledge of the ingredients he uses and makes. That is fascinating, sure, and there’s lots to learn from him here, but beyond that, probably the main lesson he can teach us is that following passion -- in his case, the combination of ingredients and spirits -- can create doors where there once were none. Charlottesville is not really seen a cocktail-culture stronghold, and yet, the Alley Light has a fervent and loyal cult following. It you stir it, they will come, eh, Micah?
The Mixology Talk Podcast: Better Bartending and Making Great Drinks
www.mixologytalk.com/126 There are good and bad sides to being a cocktail bar in a smaller market. This week we’re chatting with Micah LeMon to learn about how he found success in his own small market.
A dive into the world behind the bar, of flavor, technique, and history with mixologist and author Micah LeMon; and the inimitable living legend, Leni Sorensen, on her passion for making, growing, and living a life all about good food. … Read More
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! Leave a review about Edacious! - Click the link, then "View in iTunes" then "Ratings and Reviews". Whether you think it's great, or not so great, I want to hear from you. I might just read your review on the air! Whoa! #famousforahotminute This episode is sponsored by Teej.fm and listeners like you who donated their support at Patreon, who wants every creator in the world to achieve a sustainable income. Thank you.
Join us for a special holiday episode where we investigate the rich mixed drink history of Virginia with Micah LeMon, bartender and author of The Imbible, A Cocktail Guide for Beginning & Home Bartenders. What did Virginia citrus have to do with the birth of the California orange industry? And can we really trace an eggnog recipe back to George Washington's Mt. Vernon? We'll bust some cocktail myths while exploring the contributions Virginia has made to the mixed drink industry over the last two hundred years. We'll also learn Micah's helpful tips and tricks to understanding the mystifying world of cocktail making. All this and more eggnog than you can shake a bourbon bottle at on our mid-season finale of The Feast. Written and Produced by Laura Carlson Technical Direction by Mike Portt Special Guest: Micah LeMon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What makes a good craft cocktail? What makes a bad one? I've been looking forward to *THIS* conversation for a while. I love cocktails, and many moons ago worked as a bartender. Lately though there are only mixologists and the bar resembles an apothecary with spices, oils, bitters, and tinctures prominently displayed. But do we really need artisanal ice? I'm talking with Christian Johnston of The Cicchetti Bar at Tavola to find out. The Cicchetti Bar was created as a waiting room of sorts for Tavola restaurant. A place to sit and unwind while you wait for a table. It's becoming so popular folks are using Cicchetti to wait for tables at nearby restaurants like Lampo. Or making it their primary destination. Born in Jersey, raised in Charlottesville, Christian started out as a server but quickly discovered his place was in the kitchen. First at Mellow Mushroom then Boylan Heights where Chef Kelly Trip (of Restoration and Blue Light Grill) showed him how to care about ingredients, even if you're creating a simple burger. This led Christian to work with Chef Justin Hershey at Zinc where he developed the palate needed to make himself a fantastic bartender. Circumstances let him to The Whiskey Jar then Blue Light where he met Micah Lemon the mixologist now creating ethereal nectars at The Alley Light. Micah mentored him and Christian started developing his own cocktails. I wrote about bartending recently. How bars can become second homes if the bartender treats you right. If they look down their nose you might end up going somewhere else. We discuss this in depth. How it is the HOSPITALITY industry after all. Then we go into the flavor profiles of vodka, of which there are many believe it or not, and talk about his process for creating his peach-tea-infused Manhattan and his pink peppercorn gimlet which graced the cover of a recent C-VILLE Weekly. How was The Spice Diva involved? Why is vermouth having a resurgence? What's his favorite cocktail? All this and more in this episode. Christian took me to cocktail school and I'm so appreciative! Learned about cordials, shrubs, absinthe as an ingredient, and why vermouth needs to be refrigerated. Whoops! I loved this conversation and hope you do too. And Christian? Remind me to order a Corpse Reviver #2 next time I see you... This episode is sponsored by In A Flash Laser Engraving.