Bourbon Pairing

I recently developed a bourbon paired dinner menu. It was the second time I have crafted a menu around bourbon. I have developed many wine pairing menus over the course of my career for different restaurant concepts and honestly wine is easier to pair with food. Bourbon, and liquor in general, is a bit trickier as it doesn’t have the same nuanced level of flavor you find in wine. I imagine some bourbon enthusiasts my disagree with that statement but as a chef, I personally find it more challenging. I do think if done well, it makes a really interesting dining experience. Here are some thoughts on how to approach it.

Add cocktails and water

The biggest mistake I made in my first bourbon menu was not on the food, it was not having enough diversity on the beverage side. Bourbon is harsh and you should balance that with good quality sparkling or still water and mixing in some sweetness with a bourbon forward cocktail or two. Otherwise the pallet can be fatigued by the bourbon.

Bourbon is HOT

Its difficult to describe the taste of strong alcohol but I think the term “hot” works best for menu developers. While good bourbon has many layers of flavor, the overall experience is strong, pungent, and very alcohol forward. I look at this in the same way as I approach heat. You want fat, cooling, sweet, cheesy, or creamy flavors to balance the heat.

Mimic the flavors in the bourbon

With wine you can often choose to compliment or contrast the flavors present in the wine, but with bourbon I think its a good approach to compliment. Bourbon has flavors of chocolate, oak, smoke, spice, vanilla and using those flavors in the food helps create a pairing that endures the strong notes that remain present as you sip the bourbon

Infuse the beverage into the food

One of the best ways to pair bourbon with food is to infuse it as an ingredient. I use bourbon in compound butters, cream sauces, glazes, and dessert courses to make the connection easier for the diner. Adding the taste to the food helps with continuity with the beverage.

Have fun with your bourbon pairing and feel free to share some ideas that have worked well for you. CHEERS!!