A few Cocktail and Meal Pairings I’ve been enjoying

Usually when we think of pairing a drink with food, we think wine. But, it can also be really fun to pair cocktails with food. The fruits, herbs, acidity, and bitterness that you can play with in cocktails can make for creative pairings with food. Just think about what flavors are in the dish you are making and choose a cocktail that has complimentary, but different flavors in it. I wanted to share with you some of my favorite meal and cocktail pairings I’ve tried at home during the stay at home order. (Since goodness knows, trying to facilitate distance learning for your kids is enough to make anyone feel like pairing a cocktail with their dinner!) Do you have any favorite cocktail and meal pairings?! Let me know!

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp with a Martini

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp Recipe:

1 ½ lbs. Shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 Tbs. olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

Pinch pepper flakes

1 lemon

4 Tbs. butter, cut into ½ Tbs. pieces

Zest the lemon and set zest aside. Rinse shrimp and pat dry. In a large skillet heat the olive oil until it shimmers, then add garlic and pinch of pepper flakes and cook for about 1 minute, until the garlic is golden and fragrant. Add the shrimp and sprinkle with salt. Cook just until the shrimp is pink and curled, a few minutes. Then squeeze in the lemon juice, stir and remove from the heat. Off the heat, stir in the butter until it has melted. Sprinkle zest over the shrimp.

Serve over risotto or pasta. 

Martini Recipe:

2 ½ oz. Juniper or Spruce gin

½ oz. dry vermouth

1 dash orange bitters

Stir with ice until chilled and strain into a martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon peel.

Classically Italian- Spaghetti Bolognese with a Negroni

Spaghetti Recipe:

Technically, I never actually follow a recipe when I make spaghetti. I always just wing it. But if you want a recipe, Jamie Oliver’s is a good bet.

Negroni Recipe: (also pairs well with pizza!)

1 ½ oz. Cedar or Juniper gin

1 oz. sweet vermouth

¾ oz. Campari

Stir ingredients with ice to chill and strain into a low glass over an ice cube.

Chicken Tinga Tacos with a Cedar Paloma

Chicken Tinga Taco Recipe:

We eat tacos at least once a week because my kids looooove tacos. Half the time we make shrimp tacos, and the other half we make chicken. But, the Cedar Paloma works with either! My fave recipe for chicken tacos is from my friend Melissa’s book, The Minimalist Kitchen, but you can find it featured on a blog here: https://pinchofyum.com/the-best-chicken-tinga-tacos

Cedar Paloma Recipe:

2 oz. Cedar gin

4 oz. grapefruit soda

Lime wedge

Cayenne salt for rim*

*To make cayenne salt, mix a tablespoon of coarse salt with a pinch of cayenne pepper. Run the lime wedge around the rim of a tall glass and coat lightly with the cayenne salt.

Fill the glass with ice. Squeeze in the lime, add the Cedar gin and grapefruit soda and stir gently. Add more lime to taste, if desired.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Tacos with a Cedar-ita

This picture is featured in my book Camp Cocktails. It is one of my favorite pictures from the whole book, and the recipes aren’t bad either, haha!

Sweet Potato Black Bean Tacos Recipe:

This is another one where I never use a recipe. I just roast sweet potatoes with olive oil and salt and a little sprinling of chili powder until they are softened through and browned on the outside. Then, in a small heavy-bottomed pan I mix a can of black beans with a big scoop of salsa and bring to a gentle simmer to warm through. To serve, I use corn tortillas and layer in some black beans, some sweet potatoes, sprinkle in some queso fresco (or feta), avocado slices, chopped cilantro and squeeze a whole bunch of lime on top.

“Cedar-ita” Recipe:

2 oz. Cedar gin

¾ oz. lime juice

½ oz cointreau

¼ oz. simple syrup

Shake with ice and strain into an ice filled glass rimmed with salt