This New Jersey Cocktail Menu Blends Food-Fusions with Sweet and Savory Twists
Drink menus across the globe are pulling quite a bit from the foodies in the kitchen and adding a culinary twist to cocktails.
We are seeing a rise in savory martinis, dessert adaptations, and international mixing styles, and the team at Living Room Bar at W Hoboken is taking these trends a step further. They recently launched a secret menu designed for guests who are curious to step outside their comfort zones when it comes to their drinks.
Right along the Hudson River with views of the NYC skyline, Living Room Bar bridges (pun intended) culinary tactics, locally grown produce, and different flavors into their menu. The newly launched program features three specific cocktails and each drink requires detailed kitchen work before service begins (meaning the bartenders spend hours getting everything right before the doors open).
Let’s dive in, shall we?
The Hidden Harvest Cocktail
Savory cocktails have moved from niche experimental bars into many everyday spots across the globe. The Hidden Harvest highlights this kitchen-driven trend by pairing fat-washed richness with local New Jersey products. The drink brings in the New Jersey tomato. When you’re sipping on this savory concoction, you will get an umami-forward notes, earthy infused spirits, and garden-to-glass flavors.
The ingredients include parmesan and truffle infused vodka, cherry tomato infused Haku Yuzu Vodka, and basil infused Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto. It’s finished with Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur, simple syrup, and lemon juice. The fat-washing step adds a heaviness that mimics a rich meal without feeling overly heavy. The truffle and parmesan bring about the savoriness that balance out the acidity of the tomato.
Mango Sticky Rice Cocktail
Dessert-inspired drinks are moving past heavy cream liqueurs and sugary syrups (albeit delicious). Bartenders are making balanced, layered versions of popular street foods. Enter in the Mango Sticky Rice at the Living Room Bar, which taps into the booming tea-infusions, Japanese Shochu, and coffee shop style cold foams.
The drink translates the warmth and comfort of traditional Southeast Asian mango sticky rice into a highball. The recipe has Bacardi 8, Bacardi Coconut, Chinola Mango, Shochu, and genmaicha tea. It’s topped with a thick coconut cold foam. By pairing aged rum and mango with toasted tea, the drink has a sweetness that isn’t too excessive. The genmaicha tea, which is a green tea with a slightly nutty flavor, brings a roasted note that tastes like the actual dessert. Similarly to what you find in coffee cold foams, this drink’s topping brings about a textural change as you sip down the cocktail.
Kyoto Bridge Cocktail
Sticking to the Asian-inspired theme, the bar also added the Kyoto Bridge cocktail. This earthy drink taps into the modern matcha obsession and swaps out lemon or lime for the tartness of yuzu.
The mixture of Haku Vodka and sake creates a silky, crisp base, which draws out the earthiness of the matcha. The matcha brings an herbaceous quality to the tart citrus notes of the yuzu. Then, mixing in sake adds a slight melon and rice undertone that rounds out the punch of vodka. If you’re looking for a botanical and zen-like drink, then this might be on the top of your list.
Cheers!
Follow Shaun Melady on Instagram at @ShaunMelady.
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