The marriage between drinks and food has taken the dinner experience from ordinary to pleasurable. The right drink has the ability to enhance any meal, from a casual backyard barbecue to a formal dinner party. For most people, the art of pairing food with alcohol is a land quite daunting to explore, as there are so many choices, and they might not know exactly where to start.
Some people think pairing food with wine is snobby, but that is not the case. This is why if you actually want to enjoy your meal or are a food lover, you should absolutely think about pairing. Plus, taste matters all the time. Let’s say you want to eat a brownie which is chocolaty, deep-flavored and has the perfect amount of sweetness. You could add ice cream, a raspberry sauce, berries, salted caramel, or other delicious ingredients to improve its taste. But under no circumstance would you add garlicky pesto or melted cheddar cheese. The flavors would not match together, and the brownie taste would be ruined. And that would be such a waste.
This is why it is not snobby to think about the best pairings between your drinks and food. Additionally, it is worth it to take two seconds to figure out whether the drink will go with what you are eating. If you are a food lover, you will surely want to improve the taste of meals with the help of the right beverage. A miracle will surely happen when flavors in liquid form combined with some in solid ones will create together a third and delicious set of flavors that would be absolutely fascinating.
Let’s discover more about the perfect pairing between foods and drinks.
Complement and contrast
Pairing options can be a combination of mirroring and contrasting, which will bring out the best in the drink and food. Contrasting is a method that consists in choosing drinks with a characteristic that distinguishes the flavors present in food. Of course, the elements must not be something totally different, as the components could overpower the others in this case. Still, a little contrast can bring out excellent things in both of them. Mirroring is another great method to choose a drink that suggests picking a beverage that offers continuity with the food. Because they have similar characteristics, both will shine together and create something worth trying. For instance, pairing bourbon with barbecue is an excellent choice, as the woody flavor of the spirit will go great with the smoky taste of the meat.
Think about impact, body and alcohol concentration
When you pick a drink for your meal, you should also consider the impact it will have. For example, a meaty dry-aged steak or some rich braised short ribs will have a pretty major impact. So, when deciding which bottle to crack open, you will need to know the effect the drink will have. Wine can be light, medium or full-bodied, and it will be a great idea to consider this aspect when choosing your drink.
Additionally, the alcohol level is another thing that should be taken into account when pairing food with beverages. For example, if a food is delicate, you should opt for a lower-alcoholic drink. Alcohol can also intensify the taste of spicy food, so keeping an eye on that will be a great idea. However, under no circumstances should you drink alcohol if you are going to drive. Drunk driving is one of the main reasons why accidents happen on the road. In recent years, there have been many cases in which innocent people who didn’t do anything wrong resulted in an accident because of someone’s negligence. Alcohol impairs the ability to drive, and this is why drunk drivers often cause accidents. If you have been involved in a car accident because of another party’s negligence, you must know you have the right to claim compensation. You can find out more at https://www.how-to-sue.co.uk.
Consider brightness and acidity
Acidity and brightness are other key factors to understand when pairing drinks with food. Ideally, the acid level in the drink and meal should be comparable, and one shouldn’t overpower the other. Drinks have different types of acidity. For example, cocktails could have a big one as they can contain lime juice or lemon. On the other hand, some wines have a brighter acidity than others, like the fresh Pinot Noir.
With the help of acidity, you can contrast the richness of your food. Take the example of a squeezed lemon on a plate of fried clams. It does help it a lot, doesn’t it? If fat coats your tongue, the acidity will refresh your mouth. Now that you understand this, you can use this tool to your advantage.
Keep in mind sweetness
The food we eat has more sugar than we realize, and we are not only talking about dessert. Ketchup, caramelized onions, barbecue sauce, pad thai, oyster sauce, miso-ginger glaze and teriyaki sauce have more sweetness than you might think and can make the beer or wine taste bitter or thin. Instead, an off-dry wine or a beer with a touch of malty sweetness and residual sugar will not overshadow these dishes and will bring out the best in them. Sweeter drinks are friendlier to more spiced dishes, as they counter some heat and enhance aromatic spices.
Now, let’s move to the dessert section. The basic rule of thumb for pairing dessert is to pick a sweeter drink than your food. You probably participated at a wedding where you tried the cake together with Champagne, and realized that you don’t like the taste of the beverage. This is not because the Champagne was bad (although it can be), but because the sugary-sweet blows out the drink’s flavor.
The bottom line
Although all this information might seem a lot, they are just a few details in the world of dining delicious drink-and-food combinations. As a food lover, you probably want to enhance the taste of the food, which can be easily done with the help of the right beverage. If you want to discover what combinations pair great together, you will need to play with different tastes and find out what works best for you.
About the author
Cathy is one of blacktialnyc.com founders. As an owner of multiple bars in the last 17 years, Cathy brings her experience into her writings, to educate our tasty readers.
