non-alcoholic vegan pairings

4 minute read

Obviously, as the wino-in-residence running this account, I don’t take issue with alcohol consumption (in moderation). I enjoy the complexity and stories behind alcoholic beverages. I enjoy them as a way to enhance a meal. I enjoy them as an opportunity to connect with others. 

Clearly, wine is a passion of mine, but if I’m honest, I’m more interested in taste and flavor than I am in alcohol per se. I’ve been asked if I’d still be interested in wine if it happened to be alcohol-free. That’s hard to guess, since alcohol plays a roll in a wine’s texture, flavor, and balance – but I like to think I would be.

That’s why finding good non-alcoholic pairings is also appealing to me. In fact, it would be arrogant to claim that there’s a great wine (or beer or cocktail or spirit) pairing for every food. There are tens of thousands of flavor molecules in the food we consume. It would be insane if some of the best pairings weren’t alcohol-free. That’s just the math of it.

In fact, more and more restaurants are offering non-alcoholic pairing packages to accompany their Prix Fixe or chef’s choice menus. They’ve recognized that exploring the world of alcohol-free drinks is not only worthwhile, it’s genuinely interesting. So whether you’re not keen on wine, have chosen not to imbibe alcohol, or are abstaining for personal reasons, stay tuned. Because there are definitely some great pairings to be had without the booze.

Fortunately, the main principles of pairings still apply – you’ll want to look for the basics first: acidity, sugar, tannins (yes, they exist outside of wine), and body/weight. And of course, look for complementary or congruent flavors.

But there are also a few other things to keep in mind when pairing non-alcoholic drinks. I’ve compiled five aspects to consider when crafting your own pairings

1) temperature 

Non-alcoholic drinks have a much wider temperature range to choose from than alcoholic drinks. So this is definitely something fun to play with! Think green tea might work? Try it iced and hot. Want to try a punch pairing in winter? Make it a mulled version. Temperature has a big effect on how our receptors perceive flavor, so don’t skip out on it.

Just a quick word to the wise: temperatures at either extreme don’t do a lot of favors for flavors. Be aware that the nuances may be lost in a freezing cold drink or a smoking hot one.

2) satiety

I don’t mean satiety in terms of how satisfying the beverage is, but rather how much it satiates hunger. Non-alcoholic beverages can include many more protein and fat compounds than their boozy counterparts. A vegan mango lassi may make a perfect pairing for Chana Aloo, but it can also fill you up! So just keep this in mind when crafting pairings.

3) a single beverage or a mixed drink

Another fun thing about choosing to pair with non-alcoholic drinks is you can choose to keep things simple with a single beverage, like the genius English pairing of biscuits with strong tea and milk. Or you can create your own mixture of flavors: pair a thai curry with lemongrass infused jasmine tea and top it all off with peach sparkling water.

4) matching ingredients (exactly)

You’ll notice in my tasting notes that I list things like apple, lime, vanilla or ginger. The nice thing about crafting your own alcoholic pairings is you can purposefully include those ingredients. Don’t forget to play around with them though: does your food have lime in it? Wipe your glass with lime peel so you just get the subtle citrus oils. If you’re using ginger in your food, try making a ginger-infused simple syrup for a mocktail accompaniment. There are lots of fun ways to create that “same but different” flavor experience.

I did this in one of the pairings below, the herbed pasta with elderflower grapefruit cocktail. I echoed the herbs in the pasta with a thyme simple syrup. It added a congruent component to a complementary pairing. So, the flavors of the beverage and dish melded together just a little bit more with that addition.

5) think way outside the box 

Though the non-alcoholic pairings I’ve featured below are relatively simple, don’t forget that there is an entire world of options. You can incorporate vegetable juices as well as fruit-based ones. Make teas out of spices and herbs, shave them directly into your drink, or use them as a garnish. Dehydrate or make candy out of fresh ingredients to shake things up a bit. You can even get fantastical: butterbeer doesn’t need to stay in the Wizarding World – I bet it would be delicious with the stuffed butternut squash I made in November.

In addition to the pasta dish I mentioned, I crafted two other non-alcoholic pairings. They’re pretty accessible if you want to make them yourself, or use them as inspiration for your own creations! All the drink recipes are designed for two. Cheers!