Cooking a great meal can ensure that you make a good impression during any dinner party or get-together with friends, but if you want to really show that you know your stuff, you will pair the right drink with the right foods. This isn’t always easy, as you have to learn not just what drinks pair with what, but the best ways to serve them. However, the tips below are going to help you make a little more sense out of what works, and when.
Learn Your Wines
By far the most common drink paired with any food is a good wine. However, not every wine is going to go with every food. To that end, finding and following a good wine pairing chart is a great way to start. For instance, dry white wines tend to pair better with bread-heavy courses and fish, while medium reds work best with both white and red meats. There are also recommended specific pairings, like how many go for chardonnay with their salmon, that are worth trying out.
Some things to be aware of when choosing a wine: Some people (like me!!) have strong reactions (read: headaches or nausea) caused by certain wines. In my own case, I seem to always get headaches from California wines and always get extreme nausea from Pinot Grigios. For a while, I presumed it was that California wines were naturally higher in sulfites, but now I’m not so sure. Other high sulfite foods like pickles, dried fruit, and soy sauce don’t leave me with headaches.
In any case, it makes me a pickier when choosing wine because the point of pairing alcohol with your meals in social situations is to have fun, not make yourself feel like crud.
Know when beer is the best choice
Wine might be the most common pairing for meals at dinner parties and the like, but it’s far from the only option. For one, some people like to serve beer on hot days, for instance, as a cool beer can do a lot to refresh the table. Beers also work with foods that are particularly oily, fatty, or salty, helping to cut through and wash away the lingering notes of the food better than wine. A great thing about beers is that they’re produced all over the world and have tons of local craft options. Unlike wine, which may not be available locally to everyone, beer is much more pervasive.
Consider cocktails
My absolute favorite is to mix cocktails. They’re fun! They’re creative. You can make them with locally distilled liquors and fresh, organic ingredients! Whether you’re looking to serve an aperitif to serve as a social lubricant before dinner, or you want to show off your mixing skills just as much as your cooking skills, there are plenty of great cocktails that you can make for dinner parties. The larger the party, the more simple you might want the cocktail to be. Cocktails, like beer, can also be great for foods that are greasy or fatty, as the lemon or lime in the drink can help to cut through that, making sure that it doesn’t clog or overwhelm the palate.
On this front, my favorite go-to resource is the book Homemade Liqueurs and Infused Spirits by Andrew Schloss. Liquor companies aren’t required to disclose what goes into their Bailey’s or Kahlua or Vanilla Vodka, so I’ll frequently wind up with a massive headache if I make a cocktail with anything other than a straight distilled spirit and fresh mixers. This book has been a life-saver! It’s surprisingly simple to make my own Contreau.
As an added bonus, homemade liqueurs make excellent gifts! I’ll host a dinner party and send everyone home with a small bottle of the homemade Bailey’s we just used in our after dinner coffees.
Guest preferences always come first
You might have your ideas of what drinks go with what goods, but you should always keep in mind that your guests are always right when it comes to what they eat and what they drink. If the food and drink pairing is important to you, then you should let them know ahead of time what you will be serving, and ask for any drink preferences they might have. Similarly, keep some options on hand so that they can choose what works best for them. If a guest brings wine or another drink, then be sure to offer it around the table, as well. Have your recommendations ready, but don’t force them on people.
Have the right glassware
If you’re serving a drink, then you want to make sure that you have it in the right glassware to pair it with. Not only is it going to look wrong and awkward if you’re serving beer in highball glasses, for instance, but it actually changes the experience of drinking it. There’s a subtle chemistry to drinkware and beverages, and how we drink depends on the shape of the glass, os if you’re serving beer, have some custom pint glasses at the ready to serve them in. Ditto for wine with wine glasses and the like.
A place for coffee
Coffee can find its place in your meals, as well. Some people serve it before the meal in place of alcohol if you’re looking to keep things prim and proper. However, coffee also works well either alongside dessert or, if you have a particularly heavy meal, in place of dessert.
Ultimately, there are no strict rules to pairing drinks with meals, but as you do it more, yourself, you will see why certain combos make a lot more sense than others. You can always experiment with it, but it’s a good idea to at least try a pairing before you encourage others to do it.
Photo credit: by Lee Myungseong on Unsplash
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Absolutely! Pairing the right drink with your carefully crafted meal can elevate the dining experience to a whole new level. It’s an art form that requires not only knowledge of flavor profiles but also an understanding of how different beverages complement and enhance the flavors of various dishes.
Thanks for this fantastic article! Pairing drinks with meals can seem like a daunting task, but your guide breaks it down into manageable steps. I appreciate the emphasis on complementary flavors and how they can enhance the enjoyment of both the food and the beverage.”
Your article on ‘The Trick to Pairing Drinks with Your Meals’ was an enlightening read—it’s packed with practical tips that elevate the dining experience to a whole new level!