Rising Stars: Julian Cox

if you are a regular reader, my love for Rivera should come as no surprise to you. In addition to the delectable food, Rivera boasts some of the best cocktails in town. Mixologist Julian Cox was turned off by artificially-colored syrupy cocktails and found inspiration in the use of fresh ingredients by Comme Ca and Milk and Honey.

Cox worked his way up at Comme Ca and honed his craft at Sona. In January 2009 he worked with John Sedlar Rivera who was opening up his Pan-Latin hotspot downtown. Rivera was already making his own tequila and tequila infusions, and Julian added his special cocktails to the party. He became known for his signature drink, Blood Sugar Sex Magic. In addition to Rivera, Cox is currently opening Las Perlas with downtown maven Cedd Moses.

At Rising Stars I watched Julian carefully craft his specialty cocktail. I did a double-take when I saw that his garnish was a piece of beef jerky. I looked at him, and he said, “Barbacoa.” The Barbacoa is an unusual mixture of lime, ginger syrup, chipotle puree, red bell pepper and tequila.

My only response? “You’re a madman.”

Receiving his award from John Sedlar Rivera: