Spirited Virginia Q4 2017 - 64

JEB INGE

BEHIND THE BAR

Will Witherow, Live Oak Restaurant, Alexandria.

B

artender Will Witherow learned his
work ethic in a small Michigan town,
in 9-to-5 blue-collar jobs. When he ended
up in Pittsburgh and didn't know a soul, he
started going to bars to meet people-until
he realized he would have an easier time
getting to know people from the other side
of the bar.
He was hooked. "It felt so incredibly
natural and wonderful," he recalls.
Later, Witherow grew to respect Chef
Justus Frank when working with him at
Shirlington's Copperwood Tavern and
was eager to follow the chef to his new
restaurant: Live Oak in Alexandria serves
Charleston classics such as shrimp and grits,
fried green tomatoes and she-crab soup.
"Will has been with us from before the
doors were open," says co-owner Jeremy
Barber. "Creating a parallel between our
food and cocktails was his idea."

How do you create cocktails that go
with low-country fare?
Chef Justus Frank and I work very well
together establishing what ingredients we
have, what farms are making available. We
don't use any ingredients at the bar that we
don't have in our kitchen. We discuss the
menu, then it's on me to figure what works

64 VIRGINIA ABC | ABC.VIRGINIA.GOV

best with the foods that Chef's putting out.
I want us to be an extension of the brilliant
talent that's coming out of the kitchen.

What are examples of using the
kitchen's ingredients in cocktails?
We use spiced pecans in dishes, so those
go into our signature Old Fashioned,
crushed and steeped in rich simple syrup.
It's pretty darn tasty. I'll utilize fruits for a
syrup. I used sweet potato syrup for a play
on a Rusty Nail, with Absinthe, Drambuie
and Scotch. Chef likes to use ginger, and
we make our own ginger beer.

Do you have classics cocktails as well?
We make our own versions of classics-
Hemingway Daiquiri, Old Fashioned,
Collins. A lot of bars are making proprietary
cocktails, but when a customer asks me
to make one, I don't know what it is. With
ours, a customer can go to any other bar
and ask for it. It won't be exactly like ours,
but you'll know the basics.

Do you have a favorite drink?
Mickey's malt liquor is my favorite beer of
all time. If I've got a Mickey's in my hand,
I'm sitting with my dad and brother around
a bonfire in Michigan and having a good

time. It's like Mom's lasagna-like every
mother's meatloaf is the best meatloaf ever.
If I'm out somewhere, I'll order a daiquiri-
simple and easy. Overall, I like whiskey neat
with a beer-signifies the end of your day
and pays homage to some of the guys that I
drank with in the blue-collar world.

What are customer favorites at
Live Oak?
Old Fashioned is #1. Recently, it's been a
Cucumber Collins. Our Mule sells well-our
guests choose the spirit they want, since
I designed our ginger beer to hold up to
any spirit. Another popular drink is the
house Gibson, with choice of vodka or gin,
our garden-infused vermouth and house
pickled cocktail onions.

What do you enjoy most about
bartending?
It's getting to meet someone new or
connecting with someone you already
knew, the challenge of making sure guests
have a great time.
I had a son in January, and people have
been so welcoming of him. When my wife
brings him in, he's like a little rock star-
people view this place like a family.

-Annie Tobey


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Spirited Virginia Q4 2017

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Spirited Virginia Q4 2017 - Cover3
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