The summer sun is certainly out across the UK… or is it? At some point over the summer months it’ll be time to dig out the barbecue, get your mates round and start serving up some flavourful barbecued grub.
Alongside the food though, you have to ensure the drinks are flowing and you can do better than simply stocking up on a random selection of cans and bottles, instead, team together fantastic drinks to match your fantastic food. Here we’re looking at the beers, wines and spirits that work best in BBQ season.
Beer
You could just opt for a trip around the corner for the best deal on beers or you could select the ones which work best with your food. For complex, flavour packed sausages an aromatic and light Belgian beer is the perfect choice. Many Belgian beers are brewed with herbs and spices and are fantastic thirst quenchers.
For a meaty burger, the best part is a bright and fruity pale ale, which has both a hint of sweetness and a bitterness underneath. Finally, if you’re pulling out the big guns and serving up a juicy steak the perfect partner is a classic rich and full bodied stout or porter. The dry roast character of the stout is perfectly paired with the charred flavours of the grill and a succulence of the steak.
Wine
If you’re offering some wines instead of (or as well as) the beers then look for wines which have the same characteristics as beer, so they can have the same characteristics and thirst quenching effects. Wines which match up to your classic BBQ beer include sparkling wines which have the same palate-cleansing effect and high acid whites such as Riesling, Grüner Veltliner and Sauvignon Blanc.
Red wines for the barbecue are a little trickier to choose but a bright and vibrant Australian wine, for example a Shiraz, is a great choice and will keep the red wine drinkers happy. And if there’s a country that knows a thing or two about barbecues, it’s Australia.
Spirits
With the American feel of the barbecue the first spirit on the cards for any successful event has to be bourbon. Whether served up straight, on the rocks or mixed into any number of cocktails and combinations, the smooth and fiery nature of bourbon makes it a wonderful match to the bold, meatiness of barbecued food. For something a little softer but still with that bourbon kick you could offer up Mint Juleps with cool sugar and mint combo.
If bourbon isn’t your think then no summer party in complete without a fruity Pimm’s cocktail, complete with as many fruit as you like or even, for something fresher and cooler a classic gin and tonic or to mix it up a summer fresh cucumber Collins.
Sunshine
With all these inventive ideas you can be sure everyone who turns up for your BBQ this summer will have their thirst quenched. Sadly, you can’t order a warm sunny day at The Drinks Cabinet.
