How To Choose The Perfect Cocktail For Your Dinner

Having a great dinner with your loved ones, accompanied by a delicious beverage is an easy way to make your evening more enjoyable. And to go a little further, add to the mix a cocktail that perfectly fits the menu served. 

But how to choose a cocktail according to your meal? In this article, we’ll go over types of cuisine or dishes and which cocktail would be the perfect match.

Eating Mexican? Vamos Margarita!

There’s nothing more Mexican than tequila, and one of the most popular tequila-based cocktails is the Margarita.

Margarita Recipe

The Margarita is made of Tequila, Triple Sec and fresh lime juice in a quantitative relation of 10:4:3 respectively.

Old Fashioned Steak? Old Fashioned Cocktail

What is steak if not a piece of meat cooked on a fire? The first steak was probably eaten when man discovered fire. Such a prehistoric dish should be accompanied by one of the first cocktails. Old Fashioned is considered to be one of the earliest cocktails, first mentioned in a journal dating back to  May 6, 1806. 

Old Fashioned Cocktail Recipe

The ingredients of an Old Fashioned are bourbon whisky, sugar, bitters and water. Place a sugar cube in a glass, add a few drops of bitter until absorbed by the sugar and then add a bit of water and mash together. Once the sugar dissolves add 4.5 cl of Bourbon and fill the glass with ice. Garnish with orange zest.

Italian? Negroni, Capiche?

The Negroni is THE Italian cocktail. It is named after count Camillo Negroni who requested it in 1919 from a bartender in Caffè Casoni, Florence. It was based on another cocktail called the Americano, but with an Italian twist. Instead of soda water, the Negroni has sweet red vermouth.

Negroni Recipe

3 cl gin, 3 cl sweet red vermouth, 3 cl Campari. Stir (not shake) over ice and garnish with a slice of orange.

Asian? Singapore Sling

For centuries Singapore was the meeting point for eastern and western civilization. No wonder  a fusion cocktail was created in this country. The Singapore Sling is made from Asian pineapple juice and is a mix of some traditional western drinks.

This gin-based drink was created in 1915 by a Singaporean bartender named Ngiam Tong Boon.

Singapore Sling Recipe:

Mix 3 cl gin, 1.5 cherry liquor, 0.75 cl Cointreau, 0.75 cl DOM Bénédictine, 1 cl Grenadine, 12 cl pineapple juice, 1.5 fresh lime juice and 1 dash bitters. Shake all ingredients in a shaker with ice, garnish with a pineapple slice.

Kamikaze for Sushi

While not having any Asian ingredients in it, the Kamikaze was invented in Tokyo after WWII, and what’s more appropriate to accompany a Japanese dish than a Japanese cocktail?

Kamikaze Cocktail Recipe:

Shake 3 cl of Vodka, triple sec and lime juice in a shaker with ice. Strain into a glass and garnish with a slice of lime.

Seafood with Mojito 

The experience of eating seafood is closely related to being near the ocean, and what is more associated with the ocean than an island? 

Cuba is an island that is famous both for its great seafood and its cocktail – The Mojito.

Mojito Recipe:

Muddle 3 sprigs of mint leaves with 2 teaspoons of sugar and 3 cl fresh lime juice. Add half a cup of soda water and ice. Pour 4 cl white rum on top and garnish with lemon slice and mint. Served with a straw.

French Cuisine? Vieux Carré 

The Vieux Carré was invented in New Orleans. Just like the french origins of New Orleans, this cocktail contains two french classics: the cognac and the Bénédictine. This elegant drink is a fine match to the elegance of the french cuisine.

Vieux Carré Recipe:

Pour 3 cl rye whiskey, 3 cl cognac, 3 cl sweet Vermouth, 1 bar spoon Bénédictine and 2 dashes of bitters into a shaker with ice cubes. Garnish with orange zest. 

Fish with Whiskey Sour

The fish’s best friend is lemon. You don’t need more than a fresh fish on the grill and some lemon to really enjoy your meal. For that, a lemon-based cocktail is a great match with fresh fish. 

The whisky sour is quite an oldie and gets it’s sour flavour from the lemon juice. First mentioned in 1870, it is definitely one of the first cocktails that was recorded or created. 

Whiskey Sour Recipe:

Shake 4.5 cl bourbon whiskey, 3 cl fresh lemon juice and 1.5 cl simple syrup with ice. Garnish with a slice of lemon.

Eastern European Food with Moscow Mule

Vodka is the most popular liquor in eastern Europe. That’s why Moscow Mule, the vodka-based cocktail, is the primary suspect when matching an eastern European dish to a cocktail.

Whether it is Pierogi, Borscht or beef Stroganoff, Moscow Mule will give your dinner a gentle and fine twist.

Recipe for Moscow Mule:

Stir gently 4.5 cl vodka, 1 cl lime juice, and 12 cl ginger beer in a glass. Garnish with a slice of lemon.

Cosmopolitan with A Light Meal

Keeping it light with a salad? Make it more exciting by serving a cosmopolitan on the side. When people eat light it is very often to keep an elegant figure. Cosmopolitan is an elegant drink served in an elegant glass and makes a perfect match for an elegant dinner.

Recipe for Cosmopolitan cocktail:

Shake 4 cl Vodka Citron, 1.5 cl Cointreau, 1.5 cl Fresh lime juice, and 3 cl Cranberry juice in an ice filled shaker. Serve in an elegant glass, garnished with lemon zest.