Since we know you’re in a drinking mood these days — whether you’re toasting the new president or drowning your sorrows — say hello to the CL Cocktail Issue, dedicated to what is serious stuff for many of those who tend bar around the region, and their guests.
Depending who you ask, you may hear that Tampa Bay is a little behind on certain trends that have swept other food cities across the nation (recent arrivals ramen and poke come to mind). A similar opinion could be applied to specialty cocktails. But in the ever-evolving world of cocktails made with both care and ingenuity, six trends across the drink menus of area restaurants and bars stood out to us in particular: coffee; smoke; Japanese whisky; winetails (which speaks to the low-ABV cocktail trend that some have called a “surprising” development, plus the craftiness of food and drink spots without a liquor license); amaro; and those hard-to-find ingredients that include everything from angel’s breath to chia seed water. Kidding, but you get what we mean.
In addition to the bar-trending finds you’ll discover throughout the book, Editor-in-Chief David Warner sits down with 10 bartenders — don’t call them mixologists — participating in CL’s HighBall competition on Jan. 26. Plus, we refresh our guide to locally based small-batch distilleries with some updates.
Remember: These trends, which are all paired with an accompanying recipe, aren’t meant to be comprehensive. There are several Bay area destinations having fun with barrel-aged cocktails, including On Swann, Cask & Ale and Edison: Food+Drink Lab, while others, such as Haven and Stillwaters Tavern, are showcasing their cocktail creations on tap, or, in the case of places like Franklin Manor and Thirsty First, freezing them to pull off the in-vogue frosé. Try to spot a few bar-trendings of your own the next time you’re out clinking glasses.
—Meaghan Habuda
This article appears in Jan 26 – Feb 2, 2017.