Stop Wining Laddie - And Pass the Macallan!

November 5, 2002 10:57 AM

Stop Wining Laddie - And Pass the Macallan! Why bother with sissy wines and beers when you can have whisky all through your meal? A new trend in dining is pairing spirits and cocktails with food. Russian aristocrats still refuse to drink vodka unaccompanied by comestibles while modern Italians and Americans cook with it. The Japanese love their straight Cognac and Chivas with everything bar sashimi and eccentric old Englishmen stick with Port from start to finish. I guess they're all on to something, no? In case they're not, here, by way of consolation, is a wonderful interactive food and wine matcher for the dullards and traditionalists among us. Cheers!
posted by MiguelCardoso (15 comments total)

And, of course, Robert Burns's famous whisky poem ends with these immortal words:

"Fortune! if thou'll but gie me still
Hale breeks, a scone, an' whisky gill
An' rowth o' rhyme to rave at will
Tak a' the rest
An' deal't about as thy blind skill
Directs thee best."
posted by MiguelCardoso at 11:02 AM on November 5, 2002

Miguel,

you can't possibly listen to the English or the Russians when it comes to the choice of the right drink to accompany your food

You should listen to the people who inhabit nations where food is actually good

Vodka and Whisky are great (even if my favorite Vodka is made in France). But I'll stick with my Teroldego Rotaliano, and my Mueller Thurgau, my Gamay and my nice Greco di Tufo, thank you very much

I'll stick with spirits after dinner
posted by matteo at 12:06 PM on November 5, 2002

I love single malts, but this sounds ridiculous to me. I guess I'm more of a traditionalist than I thought.

Rich, creamy, heavily aromatic malts will be outstanding in autumn recipes with duck, beef, foie gras, raisins, apples, figs, ginger and cinnamon

Translation: If you like the kind of heavy, smoky, fatty food without any fresh ingredients or herbs or subtlety to it that they eat in Scotland, go ahead and have a 43% alcohol single malt with it -- your tastebuds won't notice the difference anyway.

Actually (backpedaling), it just might work with foie gras, where the fat would stand up to the alcohol. I never liked Sauternes anyway.
posted by fuzz at 12:07 PM on November 5, 2002

Not even with Roquefort?
posted by matteo at 12:43 PM on November 5, 2002

Off the wagon again, eh, Miguel?
posted by briank at 12:46 PM on November 5, 2002

Smoky basted venison and 12 year old Glenmorangie. Live, people!

Notice, venison isn't very fatty, but the light salty peat of Glenmorangie complements the musk of the meat very well. The Scots knew what the hell they were doing...Oh yeah.
posted by Wulfgar! at 1:39 PM on November 5, 2002

Having just come back from an exploration of Armenia, I encountered the russian tradition of toasting and drinking copious amounts of vodka with meals.

The english-speaking west doesn't have such a frequent ritual of sentimental, verbose, expressive gratitude - it has been reserved for "special" occasions (why can't every meal be a special celebration?!) - which is sad.

Our numerous hosts brewed their own vodka though, which resulted in hangovers that were a true test of survival (i had to publicly renounce my masculinity at one stage).
posted by elphTeq at 2:37 PM on November 5, 2002

ritual of sentimental, verbose, expressive gratitude

elph, it's all just a lame excuse to crack open another fresh bottle of Vodka and get obscenely drunk if you ask me
posted by matteo at 2:58 PM on November 5, 2002

now that i think about it...
posted by elphTeq at 3:27 PM on November 5, 2002

I have just one word for you: Lagavulin.
posted by languagehat at 6:10 PM on November 5, 2002

For superior Scotch snobbery, break out the Glenrothes.
posted by Prospero at 6:15 PM on November 5, 2002

For ultra-superior Scotch snobbery, visit the World of Whisky in London's Heathrow airport. Drop a few names ("I'm looking for a single malt that combines the peatiness of Laphroiag with the woodiness of MacAllan"). Ask a few questions ("so what's the difference between the single cask and the 1948 reserve"). You don't actually need to know what you're talking about (I probably don't). It only takes a lightly spread coating of bullshit and some sincere enthusiasm, and they'll gladly offer you a tasting. You can get smashed for free comparing a half-dozen different 30-year old bottles, learn more about Scotch than you even knew existed, walk out with a cheap duty-free bottle of the basic 10-year old, and have a happily drunk flight.
posted by fuzz at 6:36 PM on November 5, 2002

fuzz, you're bringing back memories. I can see that magical World even now, and I long to return...
posted by languagehat at 9:02 PM on November 5, 2002

Put me in the traditionalist's camp as I'm just finishing off a bottle of Laphroiag which has been my post-evening meal tipple of choice for the past few weeks. Bizarrely, it was purchased in Trader Joe's, Mountain View, CA - $33, a steal! - when I was over there recently...

languagehat: Lagavulin...yer right.

matteo: 'you can't possibly listen to the English or the Russians when it comes to the choice of the right drink to accompany your food
You should listen to the people who inhabit nations where food is actually good'

That includes England these days...
posted by i_cola at 4:01 AM on November 6, 2002

Mmmm.. Whiskey. Nicely done, Miguel.

I resent my job more than ever these days for preventing me from immediately noticing such delectable links as this!

[daffy duck voice]

It's a living.

[/daffy duck voice]
posted by hama7 at 2:54 AM on November 7, 2002