Pairings | Amber ale

Wine, beer and other pairings with Mexican food

Posted by Fiona Beckett on May 5 2023 at 09:29

The thing you need to ask yourself when you’re wondering which wine - or other drink - to pair with Mexican food is what kind of Mexican. Authentic Mexican or Tex Mex?

If it’s the former you’ll need a wine that can handle the bright citrussy flavours. If it’s the cheese-laden latter you’d be be better off with a beer or robust red wine of which there are plenty made in Mexico these days though few make it to the UK.

It’s also a question of what type of Mexican meal - a few small sharing plates or a more substantial dish like a mole. Or possibly even both.

Here’s a simple guide:

Top pairings with Mexican food

Tacos, tostadas and dips like guacamole and salsa fresca

There tend to be a lot of bright citrus flavours in these types of dishes: crisp fresh whites like Sauvignon Blanc and Albarino work particularly well as do classic margaritas, wheat beers (especially witbiers) or citrussy pale ales. Fresh fruity non-alcoholic cocktails like this citrus fizz or watermelon or hibiscus-flavoured Agua Fresca are good matches too.

Six of the best drinks to pair with tacos

Tamalas and other dishes with masa harina

Chardonnay is great with corn.

Cheesy enchiladas or burritos

With a chicken enchilada I'd go for a pale ale or light smooth dry white like a chenin blanc or unoaked chardonnay. With beef enchiladas or burritos try an amber ale or a medium-bodied red like a young Rioja or other tempranillo, a garnacha or a Côte du Rhône or a Bonarda

Moles

Moles suit dark Mexican beers like Negra Modelo or other dark beers - maybe even a stout with a chocolatey mole. Winewise I'd favour robust but not over-tannic young reds such as Petite Sirah and Zinfandel. Slightly smoky, gamey reds such as mourvèdre (or GSM blends) and barbera work too. If you feel your mole could benefit from a bit more sweetness go for a Chilean cabernet or a riper style of zinfandel

Other slow braised dishes like carnitas

Barbera, malbec or syrah. Amber and dark ales and lagers

Mexican desserts such as churros and cajeta pancakes

With cajetas (caramelised goats milk pancakes) I’d go for a sweet muscat or late harvest sauvignon blanc. With churros I’d personally skip the wine and drink a black Americano coffee.

Image © marcos - Fotolia.com

What to pair with Coronation chicken?

Posted by Fiona Beckett on May 18 2018 at 06:45

Coronation chicken is an obvious choice for any Royal occasion but what wine - or beer - should you pair with it?

First, for those who haven’t the faintest clue what it is, it was invented by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume of Le Cordon Bleu to celebrate the Queen’s coronation in 1953. It’s basically cold poached chicken folded into a lightly curried mayonnaise to which a touch of apricot purée or jam has been added. So very retro indeed.

There are quite a few contemporary versions knocking around such as this one from the Hairy Bikers but in essence it remains chicken in a creamy, spicy mayo. On those grounds I’d be more inclined to go for a white or rosé than a red:

* Viognier would probably be my top choice. It has just that bit more of an aromatic lift than Chardonnay although I think a medium bodied, lightly oaked Chardonnay would work perfectly well.

* old vine Chenin Blanc would also be good. It often has a touch of sweetness which would work well with the dressing, particularly if it contains apricot purée like the original. South Africa is the place to go for reasonably priced versions - Ken Forrester is a reliable name to look out for.

* a strong fruity rosé - again, not completely dry would work well. Like a shiraz rosé

* or, if you wanted a red, a lightly chilled Beaujolais would hit the spot

* a golden ale like a Duvel would be lovely. You don’t want too much bitterness with this dish so I’d go for this style in preference to a classic English bitter/pale ale.

* and a medium-dry or sparkling cider would also be a great match. And would cope with the sausage rolls and pork pies you’re probably serving up alongside.

Image copyright Brent Hofhacker at fotolia.com

Tags: Beaujolais drink:red wine medium-dry cider amber ale drink:beer & cider Bordeaux rosé drink:rosé Chenin Blanc Viognier drink:white wine coronation chicken food:chicken & poultry
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Which beers to drink at Easter

Posted by Fiona Beckett on March 20 2016 at 06:52

You may find family and friends resistant to the idea of putting beer on the Easter table (though some will be secretly pleased) but stick to your guns.

The more your guests see how great beer is with different types of food the more confident they’ll feel about serving it themselves and the less likely it is that the only beer you’ll find when you go to their house is a Bud. So, here goes:

Turkey
Roast turkey is a very beer-friendly dish. I particularly like it with Duvel and with the Scottish golden lager Schiehallion but you could pair it with any kind of golden ale or lager such as Budweiser Budvar from the Czech republic or with a Belgian or Northern French blonde ale, the beer world’s equivalent of chardonnay. Amber ales and lagers work well too.

Lamb
Two ways to go here - you could go for a strong Trappist beer like Orval, Chimay Rouge or a French bière de garde (the equivalent of a full bodied red) or a slightly sour red ale such as Duchesse de Bourgogne (think pinot noir)

Duck
Surprisingly, given how different a type of meat it is, the beers I’ve recommended above with lamb would work with duck too. If you were feeling particularly daring you could offer a cherry or raspberry beer. Duck and cherries? Classic.

Chocolate
Better with beer than with wine, many think but I’m not sure that most beer fans favourite choice, porter, isn’t too heavy for this time of year. Again a raspberry or cherry-flavoured fruit beer could well work particularly if you serve fresh berries with the dessert

Lemon tart
I’ve already focussed on the problems intensely lemony desserts pose for wine and beer certainly isn’t any easier. Hey, why not just eat it on its own?

Eggs
A witbier, bière blanche or other light, cloudy wheat beer is generally regarded as the best match for brunch dishes. Since it’s also good with smoked and cold salmon, spring vegetables such as asparagus and salads it’s well worth having a few bottles around.

You may also find this post useful:

Which wines to drink at Easter

Image by Oscar Trompenaars from Pixabay

5 great beer pairings for roast turkey

Posted by Fiona Beckett on December 17 2013 at 11:40

Even those who normally drink beer feel the need to have wine with turkey but beer is actually just as good, if not a better accompaniment.

I’m not mad about Christmas ales (better on their own or with stilton, I think) but there are plenty of other options:

A rich full-bodied IPA. I used to say American-style IPA but we have so many great ones of our own in the UK now you don’t need to constantly make that comparison.

A saison - I remember Garret Oliver recommending this to me way back. It really works

An amber ale or bière ambrée has a fruitiness that plays well with a fruity stuffing

A strong Belgian ale like Duvel would make a good partner for the Boxing Day leftovers.

A brown ale - a good choice if you like to serve your turkey with a rich gravy. Nøgne Ø’s imperial brown ale is a corker or try Brooklyn’s Brown ale.

And what about cider?

I’d go for a medium-dry cider - totally dry is a bit austere to compete with the trimmings, medium sweet too sweet - for my palate at least. The very natural-tasting Pilton cider which comes in full-size bottles would be perfect.

Here are some more suggestions from Serious Eats