Food and drink go hand in hand. They’re our sustenance, the things that keep us alive, as well as the main joy of most meals. So when it comes to pairing our food and drinks together, why are we so lazy about what tastes best? We settle for whatever we prefer in each category, without really taking into consideration what can really bring out the flavors in each dish that we are sampling. Pairing your food and drink together is something that can really open your eyes to the true tastes of both dish and beverage.
Spirits
There are a lot of very different spirits that you can choose from, each being almost synonymous (for some foodies) with their own particular set of dishes. For example, whiskey is traditionally meant to be sipped with beef; the flavors complement each other and offer a perfect match for most dishes.
Different whiskeys from different countries can be set and sampled with the traditional flavors from the nation’s favorite dishes – you can review Kikori Japanese whiskey with a number of meals from Japan to see just how perfect a pairing can be. Take a moment to savor the undertones of the spirit that you are drinking, as most of the time these can be finely tuned even more so with the dish that you are eating.
Wines
There are a whole host of colors and flavors of wine to pick from that can do everything from complement to completely ruin your meal. The general rule is that red wine is meant to be paired with red meat and white with white meat and fish, but if you stick to this then there are so many great combinations that you could be potentially missing out on.
There are websites dedicated to letting you know which up and coming wines are the ones to go for and with which food you are preparing.
Non-Alcoholic Drinks
This isn’t so much thinking about what soda you can have with your meal, but instead venturing out into other drinks which may be able to better enhance the food that you are consuming. For those who are going out and eating who aren’t drinking, trying to pair your food and drink together can be a challenge. Alcoholic drinks offer a depth and a myriad of complex flavors which are made up from a strong base; they have often been fermented, taking a while to reach the point where they are the drinks that we know and love.
The majority of non-alcoholic drinks can’t offer this, and so there have been specific creations of drinks that can. Most of these drinks are based on the principle of infusing herbs in with the water that you are drinking that are also included in your meal to bring out the flavors that you want to intensify.
Have a go with your next meal; simply get a glass of iced water and put in some fresh herbs (amount depending on how much flavor you want to bring out) and see if it’s something that suits your palette.
