LIQUID CULTURE: Room Temperature Cocktails

While we’re seeing more amaro going into cocktails, we’ve also seen a key ingredient taken out: ice. It’s not a rampant trend by any means, but the room temperature cocktail (also known as hotel and/or flask cocktail, depending on who you ask) has cropped up on more than a few of our yearly tastings. A boozier, tepid step-cousin to its iced counterpart, the room temperature cocktail has its roots in everything from the imperatives of street-drinking (legal in New Orleans, one of our favorite recent stops) to the resourceful cocktail culture of pre-commercialized ice. Room temp aromatics and a (typical) lack of dilution (some bartenders will add room temperature water to open up the drink) mean the flavor profile tends to be complex, intricate, and almost tightly woven. Definitely a bartender-friendly drink, the room temperature cocktail is likely to make a leap onto some menus (we had it at Cure, Anvil Bar & Refuge, and The Counting Room). The question is, will the trend grow?