It might sound a little funny but what we drink has an influence on what we are eating... and vice versa! The textures and flavors of our food have so much to do with the experience of eating why not the aromas and sweetness of a drink, floral spiciness and aromatic brightness of gin or the oaky mellowness of a good rye or bourbon?
Sometimes the medicinal tangy-ness (is that a word?) of a gin and tonic while refreshing on a warm summer day is also the perfect foil for a well seasoned skewer of shrimp, or just right to cut through the fatty aftertaste of a grilled halibut steak.
A good friend of mine an Irishman (bless his heart) thinks Bushmills is perfect with everything. Is that because he likes Bushmills? Or because he just has a diet that pairs well with Bushmills? I'm not sure but I do know (thanks to him) I'm more of a Power's man myself...
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| Cherry lime caipirinhas |
Recently my summer cocktail has become a variation on the Caipirinha. As I enjoyed these before with the grilled meats of Brazil & Argentina known as churrascaria I automatically associate caipirinhas with grilled meats and even barbecue. When you think about it, that makes sense. Consider the smoky flavors of the oak grilled barbeque of Texas or the mesquite flavor imparted to the sirloin the Brazilians call Picanha. Here in California we can get passable examples of both, but the caipirinha is the cocktail that bridges the gap in my mind. There is a slight smokiness that the liquor Cachaça imparts to the drink, then there is the fruitiness of the drink no matter the variation makes it a great set of flavors to enjoy with any kind of grilled meat.
Another drink that has been one of my favorites is the Negroni. Equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth, it truly is one of the simplest drinks to make yet it has some of the most complex flavors. I recently had this at Fishbar in Manhattan Beach, while it was a little disconcerting that I had to explain what was in it to the waiter, as I said it is simple enough to make, and easy to remember. I made this choice of a drink with my choice from the menu already in mind. As an appetizer I ordered the fried calamari, and for my entree, the grilled scallop skewer with garlic fries and sauteed spinach. Basically everything I ordered would taste good with my drink. The spice from the gin and the bitter of the Campari would offset the slight greasiness that comes anytime you have fried food, but the underlying layers of flavors in the drink, spice, bitter, and sweet, pair so well with fish that this is my go to drink when I'm having a dinner down by the bay or the beach.
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| Manhattan made with Knob Creek Bourbon |
One of my all time favorite drinks is the Manhattan. This is another simple drink, bourbon or rye, sweet vermouth and just a splash of bitters. This drink goes so well with beef, but why? For me it's a memory, having dinner at Val's Steak House in Daly City or Joe's of Westlake was a short-lived tradition for me and some of my close friends. At the time Val's had one of the best bartenders, I never got his name but he knew mine and he knew my drink was a Manhattan. At the same time a rib eye was and still is my steak of choice, along again with some french fries and some steamed broccoli. The steaks at Val's were fire grilled, this grilling was a little different from the outdoor grilling that I talked about earlier, Brazilian and Argentinian grilling is often done on a spit, where this was hot direct heat with just the grill between the meat and the heat. Because it was cooked perfectly medium-rare this steak went so well with my drink, the smokiness of the oak of the bourbon and the spice in the vermouth went right along with the simply seasoned, perfectly seared steak. My mouth is watering just thinking back to those days. Around the same time I would regularly go out to Joe's of Westlake and have a Manhattan there with the Veal Parmigiana! Even if we were there for lunch we ordered the dinner portion with ravioli, or spaghetti! With the crusty French bread it was a wonderful carb on top of carb experience. But the Manhattan with the veal! To his day when I think of pairing food and cocktails, this is what I think back to. The ice cold, sweet, yet bracing bourbon, along with the breaded veal, and the barely acidic marinara... the creamy mozzarella... One set of flavors to sip and enjoy and the other to chew over and savor!
The last pairing I would think about is dessert and a cocktail. I'm talking more than adult chocolate milk here! About 10 years ago when I worked for Bevmo (back then it was Beverages & More) I was sent to a seminar at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, the seminar was on pairing food and cocktails. This seminar opened my eyes to the idea that food and cocktails could be paired. At the beginning the pairing of a gin and tonic with some pan seared salmon and sea beans got my attention, but the clincher was the dessert. A warm rum toddy, paired with the most perfect creme brûlée I had ever had. The rum toddy was warmed just to around 110 degrees and a stick of Ceylon cinnamon was used as a stirrer, the creme brûlée had the perfect balance of sweet and cream, along with a generous amount of vanilla that could clearly be seen as I took each bite, on top of it all the brûlée, the crust of melted and slightly scorched sugar. The rum, a spiced rum was the perfect partner and palate cleanser. As soon as I finished off the creme brûlée I realized that I had had the presence of mind to ration the toddy so that I had just enough to sip right through to the last bite of dessert. For me that was the most successful pairing of food and drink possible, one that brought out the nuances of each part and made it a whole and wonderful dessert.
So that is it, the pairing of food and drink might not be your priority, if you're a Bushmills type that eats meat and potatoes for every meal this doesn't matter! But if you want to try and pair the perfect cocktail with your meal think about why mimosas are so good with brunch, or why margaritas taste so good with that Mexican food. Or even why that light crisp lager tastes so good with Thai food? It's because the flavors were meant to go together!
So the next time you decide to have cocktail, ask first should I have dinner with my drink or should it be the other way around?
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