Drink Up and Chow Down - How to Pair Food and Drink
It’s morning and it’s stunningly beautiful outside. The birds are chirping (actually the crows are screaming...probably at an owl), my children are devoutly pursuing their remote learning agendas for the day (I am lying for dramatic effect), and I’m thinking about drinking and eating. More specifically, pairing food and drink. In this case, I shall be focusing on cider, but allow me to first confess a dirty little secret: I am a “wine guy”. Yes. I’m a snob and everyone who knows ME knows THAT. Many of my friends will pretend that I’m not “really” a snob when the subject comes up and they’ll often offer up some pathetic defense like, “Well, you just appreciate wine in a different way than most people.” In other words, they’re uncomfortable with the fact that I’m a snob and they’re afraid I might insult their drinking preferences. For instance - putting ice in wine. Are you F$@*ing kidding me!!!!??? Do you have any idea how much hard work went into growing those grapes? ...How much love and labor went into the vinification (fancy word for making booze) of that fruit? ...The time it spent maturing and becoming a beautiful work of art? ...and you want to dilute it with ice cubes? ...Ice cubes that were probably made with chlorinated water taboot!!!??!! Our culture is collapsing before my very eyes!!!! Serenity now Dan. Relax. It’s a beautiful morning.
OK. Now we’ve cleared the air. I love wine, but I also discovered another secret weapon of joy and food enhancement…CIDER! It came at the perfect time too, because my wine drinking was getting in the way of my sobriety.
Is there More Alcohol in Hard Apple Cider or Wine?
As it turns out, cider is not only amazing when paired with food, but it also comes with a hefty downgrade in the ABV department (that’s “Alcohol By Volume” for you simple folk…who like to put ice in their wine). Cider has roughly ½ the alcohol content that wine has (that’s a big generalization, but a fair point I think). So, you can drink more and more and more before you want to sleep more and more and more. Wine is incredible with food, but you quickly run into the inebriation wall. Cider gives you time to really savor your food and the experience of being alive during these Coronavirus times. It’s a nice bonus. I’m never going to turn down the opportunity to drink more. Even if it is the result of a liquid illusion like lower alcohol content.
The lower the alcohol content, the more you can drink!
How to Pair Food and Drink?
In the great and storied history of pairing food and drink, I think we basically have 4 boozy options: Cider, Wine, Beer, and Spirits. For those of you thinking, “What about hard seltzer?”...you can leave now. And don’t forget the ice in your drink and your Bubba Burger. For the rest of you, let’s simplify: I don’t know enough about pairing spirits with food, so I’ll pass. Beer is great. I love drinking beer and I love eating food. Any time I get the opportunity to do those two things together, I’m happy.
But...I’ve never really felt that beer enhances the meal all that much. It just enhances my mood. That leaves us with cider and wine, and to me, the real secret (I believe) of pairing food and drink: ACID. Oh baby...I’m an acid freak! Not the kind that induces visual trails. I’m talking about organic acids like Malic, Tartaric, Lactic, Citric, etc. That laser-like beam of acidity that pierces right into the core of my heart. That’s what I’m talking about. Now, before you beer lovers start to riot, I’m well aware that there are many “sour” beers available these days. I know, I know. I’m not hating here, just expressing an opinion. Relax. Apples and grapes are “sweet and sour” because they have lots of sugar (sweet) and lots of acid (sour). When you ferment their juices and convert the sugars into alcohol, you’re left with the “sour” element (alcohol tastes sweet too, but not as much as sugar). I believe the acid element is what makes cider (and wine) the perfect food pairing choices. The acidity cleans your palate, makes you salivate and yearn for more food, and magically creates a bridge between your food and your soul. You’ll especially notice the magic when you pair your cider with fatty foods, like a big ol’ pork chop or a slab of cheese. That acidity just parts the sea of fat and delivers satisfaction right to the heart of your tongue. In common parlance it, “cuts through the fat.” Each mouth-coating bite of juicy, glistening pig is quickly followed by a tsunami of sparkling, razor-edged acidity that washes the palate clean just in time for the next bite. Imagine a pig (with sunglasses) in an inner tube, afloat upon a sea of cool, fizzy, golden cider. That’s what I see. So, how do you know when a cider pairs well with food?
Cider loves food and food loves cider
How Do You Know When a Cider Pairs Well with Food?
Do you just blindly follow that little suggestion printed on the bottle that says your cider will pair wonderfully with pork, chicken, fish, sea slug, and tofurkey? I would suggest that you do something revolutionary: eat, drink, and pay a little attention to the experience. Are you enjoying your food more? Does the cider taste more alive? Is it as magical as peanut butter and jelly, or more like a dirty ashtray with SPAM and oxidized mayonnaise? When a cider matches perfectly with a food you may notice that the transition between the taste and texture of the food, and the flavor and aroma of the drink, seems to disappear. It’s like there’s no definitive point at which the food “ends” and the cider “begins”. They almost become one while simultaneously elevating each other. The food will “pop” more and the flavor of the cider will blossom as well. Magic! 2 + 2 = 5. What about when it doesn’t work? Well, you may notice that instead of lifting each other up, they fight and spit at one another. Here I suggest that you have the courage to admit that sometimes it just doesn’t work. C’est la vie. Another day will dawn. Another pairing of cider and food will emerge from the aether. Just do me a favor and leave the ice where it belongs - in the cooler.
Ice belongs in the bucket