Cocktail and food pairing
Cocktail and food pairing: let the trends meet the drinks
There is an untapped £100m spirits opportunity for casual-dining operators, which food-led pubs can take advantage of by pairing cocktails with dishes on their menus, according to spirits giant Diageo.
Sales of spirits have grown by 17% year-on-year, with cocktails sales increasing by 6.5% since last year, according to CGA Strategy.
Casual-dining venues could take advantage of the growth and differentiate themselves from the competition by making a bigger play of cocktails, according to drinks producer Diageo.
Read on to discover some cocktail recipes that can be paired with current food trends.
Food trend: Italian
Cocktail: The Italian G&T
Ingredients:
- 50ml of Gordon's Gin
- 150ml of tonic
- Lime wedge
- Sprig of rosemary
Method:
- Fill a glass with ice
- Pour in the gin and top with the tonic
- Stir to mix
- Garnish with the lime wedge and sprig of rosemary
Alcohol units: 1.9
Food trend: Mexican
Cocktail: Paloma
Ingredients:
- 50ml of Don Julio Blanco Tequila
- 150ml of grapefruit soda
- Sea salt
- Pink grapefruit wedges
Method:
- Rub the rim of the glass with a wedge of grapefruit and coat with sea salt
- Fill the glass with ice
- Add the Tequila
- Top with grapefruit soda
- Garnish with another wedge of pink grapefruit
Alcohol units: 1.9
Food trend: Asian
Cocktail: The Pan-Asian G&T
Ingredients:
- 50ml of Jinzu gin
- 150ml of tonic
- Stick of lemongrass
Method:
- Fill a tall glass with ice
- Pour in the gin
- Top with tonic
- Stir to mix
- Garnish with the lemongrass
Alcohol units: 2.1
Food trend: American
Cocktail: Bulleit peanut butter cup hard shake
Ingredients:
- 50ml of Bulleit Bourbon
- 1 spoon of peanut butter
- 25ml of caramel syrup
- 100ml of single cream
- Crushed peanuts
Method:
- Add the bourbon, peanut butter, caramel syrup and cream to a blender with a small scoop of ice
- Blend to a smooth consistency
- Pour into a milkshake glass
- Garnish with crushed peanuts
Alcohol units: 2.2
Food trend: Breakfast
Cocktail: A bloody easy Mary
Ingredients:
- 50ml of Smirnoff No 21 Vodka
- 150ml of tomato juice
- 2 dashes of Tabasco sauce
- 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
- Cherry tomatoes on the vine
Method:
- Fill the glass with ice
- Pour the vodka and tomato juice into the glass
- Add the Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce
- Garnish with the cherry tomatoes on the vine
Alcohol units: 1.9
Learn more about the potential of the cocktails and food pairing by following this link.
