Warning: instant hunger alert! Some of our favourite food and gin pairings may surprise you!
Jul 13, 2020
Here at Craft Gin Club HQ, it’s safe to say that almost every conversation we have leads back to food or gin. So it probably won’t surprise you to learn that we have nattered away many an hour on the subject of our favourite food and gin pairings. And we are not just talking about the amazing cooking and baking recipes that make it into our fabulous GINNED! Magazine either, no, we are talking about those wonderful dishes that are only improved by being washed down with a G&T or cocktail or two - we even get detailed enough to pick specific gin for specific dishes!
As such, we think it’s high time we shared with you some of our favourite gin and food pairings! The task is not easy, however, the topic is pretty huge (many Craft Gin Clubbers will tell you that there isn’t anything that gin doesn’t go with - and it would be hard to disagree with that!), so we have put together a day of food and gin pairings that we know you will love to try out!
Our choice for breakfast is French toast, or eggy bread, as it’s otherwise known. That’s right, with its delectably crisp outer edge and luxuriously soft custardy, doughy centre, french toast is incredible with gin, especially when it is doused in maple syrup, butter and icing sugar (let’s go all in!) and maybe a berry compote on the side for the health-conscious gin enthusiasts out there.
If you really want to go all out, add an American touch with streaky smoked bacon. Those smoky, salty strips are divine with maple syrup and the cushions of eggy bread.
Of course, with all of that, you will need a gin that can hold it’s own. We recommend Naud, a French gin that was our February 2019 Gin of the Month. It has a lovely balance of citrus, floral and spice flavours that are excellent with our breakfast dish of choice, especially when used in our favourite morning and/or brunch cocktail, a Breakfast Martini!
After such an indulgent breakfast, a lighter mid-morning snack would be needed. It’s true, almost any fresh fruit can work with gin - just look at the variety of garnishes out there (check out our guide to help you pick the perfect garnish for you favourite gin)! In particular, we like tropical fruits like passion fruit with gin and fruits that have complex citrus notes like blood orange too.
And while you may think that a really citrus-forward gin like Ludlow Triple Citrus and Pomegranate Gin would be our first choice to pair with those fruits, we actually love the refreshing contrast of more juniper-forward, classic London dry gins with juicy, vibrant fruit like passion fruit and blood orange. Boatyard Double Gin, for example, works so well with passion fruit and blood oranges because its juniper tones are a scrumptious contrast to the juicy citrus pop of the fruit. With a delectably bitter, premium tonic water like London Essence Original and a slice of grapefruit for garnish, our delightful May 2018 Gin of the Month makes the perfect partner to tropical fruit!
With fresh, crunchy cucumber, rich, velvety olives, aromatic tomatoes, creamy, salty feta cheese and parsley all liberally coated in smooth, silken extra virgin olive oil - as a bare minimum - a Greek salad recipe reads like a medley of our favourite gin snacks. It’s a refreshing savoury treat that’s the perfect lunch buddy to gin!
For us, herb-forward gins work best here, as herb flavours work so well in a Greek salad. Cambridge Dry Gin is our first choice for a Greek salad lunch. Its herbaceous tones are both rich and refreshing, and there are also charming floral and citrus notes to the gin that go perfectly with cucumbers and olives.
For that afternoon pick-me-up, we love a sweetie or two. Truly, you are never too old for a sweet treat - just ask our members who received SugarSin’s yummy Fizzy Gourmet Gummies in their July 2020 Gin of the Month box! The fun doesn’t end there, we also love strawberry laces with gin and sour cherry gummies too, especially with the fruitier gins out there.
The stunning tipple that is Blue Bottle Pink Gin is a crisp and summery gin that pairs so remarkably well sweeties. Its complex symphony of citrus and berry notes mean that it has a beautiful fruity flavour that isn’t overly sweet, making it a delightful match and counter-weight to surgery snacks. It’s a combination that will have any sweet-toothed gin lover starry-eyed with glee!
From Chicken Tikka Masala to a Thai Green Curry, curries are easily as versatile as our favourite gins! Just the word ‘curry’ conjures up joyful sights, tastes and smells of deep, unctuous, warmly spiced gravies, smothering tender vegetables and rich meats. A kaleidoscopic symphony of flavours, curries are perfectly suited to gin cocktails - curry and cocktail nights? Yes, please!
As curries are usually very rich and filling, they are best paired with light and bright gins like Ludlow Elderflower, Chamomile & Lemon Verbena Gin, which was our March 2020 Gin of the Month. A great cocktail to use that scrumptious gin in is a sour cocktail, which, like a good chutney, is a great way to cut through the richness of the dish. Give this Rhubarb Gin Sour cocktail recipe a try with the next curry you make and you’ll never want a beer with your curry again!
Gin is notoriously good with desserts, so you really can’t go wrong pairing any gin with any dessert. Even so, some desserts do still stand out as being particularly good with gin, and they are the humble cupcake and the gooseberry crumble. Gin and cupcakes have always been best friends, there is just something about those pillow-soft sponges and lashings of decadent buttercream icing that works so well with an ice-cold G&T. And then we have the classic gooseberry crumble. An old-school favourite that combines sweet, biscuity crumbs of joy with a layer of perfectly tart gooseberry compote, this dessert is having a resurgence at the moment, not least because it’s just so good with gin!
Slingsby Gooseberry Gin is a must with both of these incredible desserts. Not only does it match perfectly with the crumble but its tart notes also provide a wonderful contrast to the mellow vanilla of the cupcake sponge. Together, they make for the perfect way to end any meal!
This is an extra, cheeky entry for those who like a little bedtime indulgence. Chocolate and gin have to be the perfect way to end the day! And what better way to compliment the smooth, creamy, sweet wonder of chocolate than with a spiced gin and a deep, rich, delectably bitter Negroni cocktail.
Here, it has to be Four Pillars Spiced Negroni Gin. So mix yourself up a Negroni cocktail and then climb in bed with your box of chocolates. You deserve this!
