You often hear people talking about pairing food and wine, but what about non-alcoholic drinks? Whether you do not drink, you are trying to cut back, you are driving or you simply prefer a non-alcoholic drink with your meal, you will find that there are certain pairings that complement each other well and can heighten your food experience.
Pizza & Acidic Drinks
Any drink tastes good when you are enjoying pizza, but you might find that an acidic drink like grapefruit juice is best as this can help to bring out the complex flavours. This is because the juice can handle the acidity of the tomato sauce, which can then help to expose the other flavours of the pizza and give you the best experience. If it is a cheese-heavy pizza then something tart will help to create the right balance – lemonade would be a good choice.
Desserts & Tea
For many people, dessert is the most important part of dinner and you will want to find the perfect beverage to complement the sweet dish. Generally, you will find that hot beverages are best and flowery or fruity teas like Camomile tea can work well, especially if you are enjoying something with a citrus or tart flavour profile.
Seafood & Lemonade
Have you ever had a seafood dish that didn’t come with some kind of lemon? This is for good reason as it helps to create the perfect balance between salt and acid to amplify the flavour. Therefore, lemonade is the ideal choice if you are looking for a non-alcoholic beverage to enjoy with any kind of seafood dish whether this is scampi and chips, seafood pasta, shrimp or lobster.
Chocolate
There are many beverages that go well with chocolate, but if you want to find something that will improve your experience then you should try pairing chocolate with something tart to offset the sweetness of the chocolate. Cranberry and pomegranate are ideal and will help to bring out the flavour of the chocolate that you are enjoying whether this is a chocolate bar or a chocolate-based dessert.
These are a few of the best food and non-alcoholic food pairings to try. It is amazing the difference that pairing food and drink can make to a dish and it is something that everyone should know about, especially if you are out for dinner or looking to impress someone else. The right beverage can bring out the best flavours, amplify the dish and create the best possible experience and you do not always have to pair your dish with an alcoholic beverage to enhance the experience.
