Menu matching: Chocolate with your drinks?

The courtship of the pub trade by the chocolate industry has been a protracted, frustrating and on the whole, largely unsatisfying relationship to date.

The major confectionery players, who include Mars owner Masterfoods, Cadbury, and the power behind the Kit-Kat brand Nestlé, have all made forays into the pub market over the past decades, with some success.

More pubs, admittedly mostly those with a family trade, stock confectionery lines, and the biggest successes so far have been with tailored products such as branded desserts. However, there is a new wave of activity underway as the combined impact of extended opening hours and the changing customer demographics which have seen more women using pubs and bars, generate new opportunities.

Basically, the argument goes, if blokes will eat cheese and onion crisps with lager, then surely a group of girls will happily order a bottle of chardonnay and a sharing bag of Maltesers?

This was clearly a proposition which was calling out for the scientific rigour of one of The Publican's taste matching tests. Our friends at cash & carry group Booker came up with a red and white wine from the Malt House Vintners range, and we also drummed up some Baileys with chocolate cups from Diageo, and Grand Marnier from Pernod-Ricard.

With supplies of chocolate laid on, we set about assembling a panel of ladies willing to put our various matches to the test. To kick off, we asked them to name their favourite separate tipple and chocolate.

The panel​

Selected for their insight, incisiveness and, above all, availability, the panel were:

• Kate Adams - events co-ordinator, loves Bournville and a dry white
• Sally Avery - it's red wine and Maltesers all the way for The Publican's sub-editor
• Kate Evans - events coordinator, a white wine girl who loves Galaxy
• Lesley Kemp - company trainer, a Bacardi and plain chocolate enthusiast
• Claire Loughman - The Publican's production editor, fond of Belgian chocolate and a G&T
• Lisa McMahon - a vodka and Cadbury's Dairy milk for The Publican's art editor, please
• Julie Roebuck - web supervisor on thePublican.com, another Galaxy girl who also enjoys a beer
• Michelle Perrett - The Publican's deputy news editor, loves red wine and peanut M&Ms
• Helen Smallwood - commercial manager on The Publican's retail and property section is always up for a dry white and a Toffee Crisp

The Matches​

Each match gets a total mark out of a possible 45. Bear in mind that the marks are for the appropriateness of the match rather than a comment on the quality of any of the fine products involved. In one or two cases where someone tried to give a minus mark, we recorded it as a zero.

All comments have been recorded anonymously to spare the blushes of the guilty.

Milk Chocolate​

This is the most basic of chocolate bars, so ought to go with just about any drink. Not so, it seems, with some mixed reactions from the panel.

White wine with milk chocolate was one of the winning matches across the board, with many of the panel surprised by how well it works - "the creamy chocolate and dry wine combination was actually pretty good," said one.

Red wine was less successful on the overall scoring, but scored in the mid-range throughout the process, stirring some strong emotions with many of the panel enjoying the match - "nice and creamy in the mouth," was one description, and "reminds me of a drunken Easter experience" another.

Baileys scored well with milk chocolate, although some panellists were concerned that the flavours simply cancelled each other out, while Grand Marnier inevitably prompted several mentions of chocolate orange.

• Red Wine: 21
• White Wine: 28
• Baileys: 25
• Grand Marnier: 16

Dark Chocolate​

The smart money was on red wine doing well as a match with dark chocolate due to the similar bitter flavour profiles, and the voting went with the bookies. "Fantastic - the combined taste is really different to anything else," was one comment.

Dark chocolate also went well with white wine for some of the panel - "better than any other match" said one - but another felt it was "the wrong contrast."

Baileys with dark chocolate was a matter of "too many conflicting tastes on the palate" for one, but "the best flavour combination of all" for someone else. Grand Marnier prompted the comment "nice, like one of my Gran's liqueurs". Which may not be the image the marketing people were going for…

• Red Wine: 27
• White Wine: 17
• Baileys: 18
• Grand Marnier: 15

Milk chocolate with nuts​

We picked a chocolate with pecans, which seemed to throw some of the panel. There were some interesting reactions, with one of the girls saying that Grand Marnier with nutty chocolate was a "double whammy that made my eyes pop - but I was tempted to try again."

Baileys was the winner in this category, although only a couple of points behind red and white wine. A common theme was that many of the panellists thought the combination of alcohol, nuts and chocolate was a step too far. "I like all three - just not together," said one.

• Red Wine: 26
• White Wine: 25
• Baileys: 28
• Grand Marnier: 10

Candy-covered chocolate​

Overall, this scored less well than 'real' chocolate, with many panellists feeling that the sugar sweetness of the crispy shell took something away from the drinks. "The chocolate tastes very synthetic compared to the wine," said one.

The match with Baileys prompted one of the most evocative comments of the day - "the sweetness teeters on the palate like a rogue about to walk the plank and plunge into a sea of nausea."

• Red Wine: 18
• White Wine: 14
• Baileys: 15
• Grand Marnier: 11

The Winners​

We have a joint winner. With 28 points each, the prize goes to:

White wine with milk chocolate - "goes much better than you'd think it would" was a comment from more than one panel member. On this basis, wine and chocolate could definitely be a winner for pubs.

Baileys with nutty milk chocolate - "the sweetness of the pecan nut and the harshness of Baileys actually go really well together" said one panellist.

Walk of shame​

With a rather embarrassing 10 out of 45, Grand Marnier with nutty milk chocolate is clearly not the way forward. "No! No! No!' was the way one panellist put it, while another said "it's enough to put a girl off chocolate." Perish the thought.

Discovery of the day​

The hitherto-unknown combination of Grand Marnier and Baileys was something of an eye-opener. We won't embarrass the inventor, but suffice it to say the cocktail will henceforth be known as the 'Smallwood'. Cheers!