Riverland's Pop-Up Butter Bar

Overview

Winter isn't for everyone, but it does have its perks. You can't sit by the river and enjoy a hot boozy beverage in the middle of a sweltering Brisbane summer, for example. (Sure, you wouldn't want to when it's 35 degrees outside, but you get the picture.)

Now that the frosty weather has arrived, Riverland is taking the colder climes to heart by slinging warm tipples all season long — serving dry spiced hot-buttered rum, hot mocha espresso martinis, mulled apricot red wine sangria and hot toddies, to be exact. It's all part of the Eagle Street venue's Tiki-themed pop-up butter bar, which runs from 5pm Thursday through to Sunday throughout winter.

The main attraction is those toasty, buttery rums, which also come flavoured with cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla and star anise — plus cloudy apple juice for an apple pie taste. But the martini is no slouch either, featuring a mocha hot pot filled with chocolate, espresso, sugar and vanilla vodka.

Hot food will also be on the menu thanks to Phil from Phil's Kitchen, who'll be doling out a hearty Malaysian-style laksa. Pair your warm drink with a steaming soup made from spicy coconut cream, noodles, wilted Asian greens and your choice of duck, chicken, vegetables or seafood, and you'll forget all about the temperature.