Temperature is important for beer, wine and spirits
David Turley isn't about to drink a beer with chunks of ice floating in it.
But that's what can happen at restaurants that insist on serving his favorite beverage in icy mugs. And so Turley has no qualms about insisting on an unfrosted glass.
"I'm pretty passionate about it," says Turley, 50, of Fredericksburg, Va.
Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page are even more finicky. The husband-wife authors of What to Drink With What You Eat have been known to whip out a pen-size infrared thermometer to check the temperature of their wine before imbibing.
"Temperature is far more important than it typically gets credit as being when it comes to flavor," Dornenburg says. "Twenty or even 10 degrees can make an enormous difference in how the exact same wine tastes."
Here's what some beverage experts say about optimum drink temperatures.
Beer
Most beer is served too cold, says Sang Yoon, a beer sommelier, chef and owner of Father's Office, a restaurant in Santa Monica, Calif. But with most mainstream beers - the stuff produced by the major-brand brewers - cold is fine: "Those don't have a huge aroma profile, so you can drink them really cold and you're not missing out on anything."
Aromatic beers brewed with more ingredients - pale ales, for example -should be served at 40 F to 42 F, Yoon says. Beers with big flavor, such as Belgian ales, are best served at about 50 F.
Wine
Wine often is served at the wrong temperature, says Natalie MacLean, editor of a wine newsletter and author of Red, White and Drunk All Over.
"Too cold, and a wine's complexity and aromas are numbed; too hot, and it tastes alcoholic and flabby," she says.
Red wine should be served at about 60 degrees, though some light reds, such as Beaujolais, are better served cooler, she says. White wine should be chilled to about 55 degrees; the glass should feel cool but not ice-cold.
Dornenburg and Page suggest 40 to 50 degrees for sparkling wines, 45 to 55 degrees for dry whites and roses and 55 to 60 degrees for other whites.
Check the label: Many bottles indicate the optimal serving temperature.
Liquor
There's a bit more leeway when it comes to hard liquor and mixed drinks. Tricia Crighton of the Gin and Vodka Association of Great Britain says gin and vodka drinks generally are served chilled, usually on ice, to emphasize the fresh taste.
"The dry martini should be very cold, and some bartenders keep bottles in the freezer to achieve this," she says. "Usually though, a few good-size ice cubes will chill down cocktails and mixed drinks sufficiently."
Although cocktails historically have been enjoyed chilled, a new generation of mixologists is creating more complex cocktails whose flavors are best enjoyed slightly warmer, Page and Dornenburg say.