Pairing Holiday Cocktails With Food

By Vito’s Pizzaria in Wethersfield

The holidays are almost here and you’re starting to plan out your dinner and cocktail menus. But how do you know what to serve with what?

Here are some guidelines for pairing your cocktails to your meals.

Before dinner, it’s best to serve drier beverages that will stimulate the appetite – such as martinis, Manhattans, and champagne. Pair them with savory and salty snacks, like the bacon, blue cheese, and pecan cocktail cookie below.

Generally, cocktails should have complimentary or contrasting flavors with your main dish. A sweeter cocktail works well with honey-glazed chicken and also with a spice-rubbed steak. You could also take an accent (an herb, spice, or vegetable) from the food and use it again in the cocktail.

Vodka and gin are relatively easy to match with food. Brown spirits work particularly well with red meat, cheese, and savory fish dishes. Tequila is great with smoky foods.

Once dinner is over, serve sweet with sweet, so pull out your liqueurs and small cordial glasses.

Bacon, Blue Cheese & Pecan Cocktail Cookies

.75 Cup pecans

4 Minced bacon strips (about half a cup)

Salted butter

1 Cup crumbled blue cheese

1 Teaspoon minced fresh thyme (or .25 teaspoon dried thyme)

.5 Teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 Cup all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted (about 5 to 6 minutes). Let them cool and then coarsely chop.

In a medium skillet or sauté pan over medium to medium-high heat, sauté the bacon until crispy (about 5 minutes). Do not scorch the bacon. Drain the drippings into a heat-proof measuring cup and reserve the bacon separately. Let cool. To the cooled drippings, add butter as needed to make half a cup total.

With an electric mixer, cream the cheese, thyme, and pepper together in a mixing bowl. Add the butter mixture and stir. Then add the flour and mix the dough for about 2 minutes. Add the bacon and nuts and mix until everything is evenly combined. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes to chill. Then preheat the oven to 350 degrees for at least 20 minutes before baking.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper or leave them ungreased. Scoop up the dough by rounded teaspoonfuls and shape them into 1-inch-diameter balls. Place the balls, spaced 2 inches apart, on the baking sheets. With a fork, flatten to 1.5-inch-diameter rounds, dipping the tines into flour as needed, and making crisscross patterns as you would on peanut butter cookies. Bake the cookies until they are lightly golden at the edges (about 14 to 16 minutes). Allow them to cool on the pan. The recipe should make about 36 to 40 cookies.