Whether you’re planning a party or an intimate date night, pairing food and drinks together can be an intimidating task. Fortunately, there are a few simple tips that can help make it a little bit more manageable for beginners. Here’s what you need to know if you’re pairing food and drinks together for the first time.
Strike a Balance Between Complement and Contrast
When you’re pairing food and cocktails together, it’s important to think about how one can bring out the best in the other. Sometimes drinks bring out the best in food because they complement each other. In other cases, it’s the contrast that can make for the perfect pairing. Let’s start with dessert, since the acidity in wine pairs so well with sweet and fatty foods. One of the key things you’ll need to master is the balance between complement and contrast. A wine that contrasts too much will clash with your food, which you don’t want. For dessert, you might want a red wine that’s a little bit on the sweet side to complement your sweet dish. A wine that’s too sweet or too dry could take away from the experience, though. Think about your dessert and then choose a wine or cocktail that offers something fresh while maintaining that “dessert” feeling.
Pay Attention to Acidity
As we covered above, the acidity in wine can pair well with fatty foods. Acidity is something that you’ll need to understand if you want to make the best food and drink pairings. Acidity should contrast the richness of your food, but not so much that it’s overpowered. For instance, a bit of fresh lemon juice on some fried shrimp can bring life to the dish. Burgers are another great example to use when you want to cut the richness of a dish with some acidity. Considering that 71% of all beef consumed in restaurants comes in the form of a burger, it’s safe to say you’ll be pairing a beer or wine with a burger at some point in your life. In this case, a lighter beer that has some tanginess to it or some hoppiness will cut the richness of a burger quite nicely.
Let Your Food Lead the Way
Let’s say you’re planning a brunch and you can’t decide which cocktails to serve. Since almost 67% of people prefer ethnic-inspired dishes for brunch, it might be tough to even think of a cocktail to pair with everything. This is where you should absolutely let the food lead. Is our brunch ultra-rich and in need of something light and a little acidic to complement it? Are you serving something spicy and in need of a refreshing drink to cool everyone off during the meal? Using your food to guide you to the perfect cocktail can be an easy way to craft an excellent menu for your guests. Think about what would enhance your food — what is it missing? The answer might just help you decide on the perfect cocktail for your big event.
Pairing food and drinks doesn’t have to be intimidating or complex. When you understand the basics of enhancing your food with the right drink, pairing for your next get-together should be a breeze.