6 Amazing Meals That Are Perfect To Pair With An Alcoholic Drink
Food and alcohol are the perfect tandem in a party or a simple home dinner. When you have a harmonious and balanced combination of food and drinks, you get to enjoy your drinking and eating moments more. While keeping your stomach sufficiently stuffed while drinking is a good practice, you should also take note of the food you are eating if it goes well with the taste of your drink. If you don’t do it right, you could ruin your dining and drinking experience.
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To have an excellent gastronomic experience, we’ll share here the perfect meals to pair with an alcoholic drink.
1. Rye and Sushi
Rye whiskey and sushi is the perfect drink and food pairing example of East meets West. Rye is bourbon’s edgier cousin, and it seems that it is difficult to find food that complements it. Well, it wasn’t until sushi came along. Whisky experts from The Whisky Club are ecstatically thrilled with this combination. The whiskey’s bold edge is complemented by the flavorful softness of raw fish, the soft, starchy taste of rice, and the saltiness of the seaweed wrap, making nigiri sushi the match rye has been waiting for. You’ll never get tired of this East-West fusion of food and drink.
2. Scotch and Duck Breast with Vegetables
Another well-loved whisky and food combination is Scotch and roasted duck breast. In most food and drink combinations, the drink’s flavor and texture are mirrored by the food’s. A simple example would be matching earthy wine with earthy food. Sometimes, you don’t have to go for mirroring tastes, you can also go for different tastes that complement each other. Scotch and duck breast go well with each other as Scotch has a peaty flavor, while roasted duck breast has a fatty, unctuous flavor. Mixing these flavors in your mouth gives a surprisingly rich taste – a right blend of smoky and peaty with sweet and fatty. A sprinkle of water opens up the taste of Scotch even further.
3. Bourbon with Pickled Vegetables
We can’t get enough of whisky here, but we’re heading into the lighter side. Bourbon has a sweet flavor with a touch of spiciness and generally goes well with same-flavored food. However, bourbon’s flavor also goes well with food from another spectrum of flavors – salty and sour. Tussling the sweet and spicy flavor of bourbon with the brininess and slightly sour flavors of pickled vegetables opens up a new and flavorful sensation for your palate. Like its other whisky relatives, a sprinkle of water opens up the flavor of bourbon for a more savory dining experience.
4. Champagne and Oysters
If you think salty and sweet flavors don’t go well with each other, this drink and food combination will prove otherwise. Oysters have a distinct salty flavor, while champagne has a light, sweet flavor. Salty foods are often favored as food pairs for strong spirits due to their ability to lower the alcohol’s burn. Slightly salty foods like oysters go well with drinks having low alcohol content and sweet flavors like champagne and white wine. The opposing flavors complement each other, allowing you to appreciate the tastiness of the oyster and the fruitiness of champagne.
5. Rum and Jerk Chicken
Rum has a distinct taste profile of sweet, toasted sugar. This is because it’s an alcoholic drink made with molasses. On the food side, jerk chicken and its sweet yet complex flavor is a heavenly match for the rum. The sweet-on-sweet combination will give you a bit of a sugar rush while also bringing out the flavors of the chicken and the rum. If you are looking for a consistent and flavorful experience while enjoying your food and drink, this combination can tastily deliver.
6. Red Wine with Red Meat and Chocolate
This is perhaps the most recognizable combination of food and drink. Red wine has a distinct and bold aroma and it goes well with food having the same bold flavor. Beef dishes and roast lambs make perfect dance partners with red wine on the dining table. Their flavor profiles do not overwhelm each other but rather bring out the best taste of the wine and meat when taken in one after the other or at the same time. Chocolate won’t look like a third wheel to this fantastic pair as it serves to further complement the combination of flavors. Chocolate can also be a good alternative food partner for red wine, making it a good food and drink combination for parties and drinks with friends.
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The main guiding principle behind food and drink pairs is harmony. They can have similar tastes, opposing flavors, or have diverse flavors that complement each other. We have distinct palates and preferences when it comes to food and drinks, and we can always make our food and drink matches. At the end of all that eating and drinking, what matters most is that you feel satisfied, and you enjoyed the gastronomic experience.