Happy 4th of July! May it be full of Reds, Whites, and Brews and...Booze!

Rad, White, and Brews Celebrations

Retro Rad Mixologist Emily Ellyn, here to give you the dish on food and drink pairings to shake up fun in your kitchens!

Catalina Island Independence Day Water Skiers
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For this July Fourth, I'd like to share my tips and tricks for pairing Red, Whites and Brews, and...Booze with barbecue:

 

#1: Drink What You Enjoy!

I am giving you permission to drink white wine with an ice cube with your steak! To each his own, ESPECIALLY at a barbecue and, that means if you want lemonade, iced teas, sweet teas, or twisted teas you go right ahead.

Below, you will find that I am just giving you advice to take the guesswork out of pairing wine and beer and selecting drinks for your party.

#2:  BBQ Means Stress Free Dining AND Drinking.

When pairing drinks with food for outdoor dining always think simplicity. This means don’t choose a fussy stuffy wine that requires too much thought.  You are sipping on drinks and/or wine in the beautiful outdoors or the comforts of your home. The drinks should fit the food, but they should also fit the casual mood of the gathering.

I love doing a sangria or punch for a BBQ.  Tasty, cool and the ease of portability and accessibility for guests make it a win/win!

Try this refreshing beverage:

Summertime Citrus Sangria

Recipe courtesy of Emily Ellyn, more at www.EmilyEllyn.com

Yield:  Party Serving

Ingredients:

1 (750-milliliter) bottles Sweet Champagne or Sparkling Wine, chilled

1 (1500-mililiter) pouch LiDestri White Sangria (or sub a sweet white)

¼ cup honey (or organic stevia)

3 tablespoon chopped ginger

3 large sprigs, rosemary, crushed

1  (34-oz.) bottle fresh orange juice

1 cup peach nectar

1 orange sliced thin, to garnish

1 cup fresh or frozen peaches sliced, to garnish

6 sprigs Rosemary, to garnish

Directions:

Prepare Ginger Rosemary simple syrup by bringing ¼ cup White Sangria and honey to a boil in a small saucepot.  Add the ginger and rosemary and bring back to a boil. Remove from heat and steep the mixture off heat for 20 minutes.

Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a container and use immediately or refrigerate for future use.

Make Citrus Sangria:  In large pitcher mix simple syrup, orange juice, peach nectar, grapefruit juice, sparkling wine, and sangria.  Serve over ice and garnish with sliced oranges, peaches and fresh basil.

#3:  Fireworks, Sparklers AND Sparkling Wines Always Make a Meal More FESTIVE!

I must confide that the right glass of bubbly will just about pair with any dish.  I personally love Iron Horse Blanc de Blanc as well as their Brut Rose!

I have always enjoyed sipping on these sparkling wines, BUT they are really spectacular with food.  The Blanc de Blanc is 100% Chardonnay and it is like a buttery piece of toast that radiates with it’s effervescence.

Sparkling wine suggestions:  Prosecco, Cava, a light-bodied California sparkling wine, or a Lambrusco are always good bubblies for a backyard barbecue.

#4: Blush if you will, Rosés are a MUST!

Rosé is ANOTHER must have when dining out on the deck!  There is no question that rosés lift flavors and spirit to casual outdoor gatherings. Served brisk and cool, these wines have a bit more acidity than white wines to combat the grilled flavors of the food.

Rosé suggestions: California Rosés made with the Sangiovese grape, Bandol from Provence, Tavel from the Rhône Valley, Lambrusco from Italy

The Brut Rosé from Iron Horse is my go-to!  This is a bold and vibrant SPARKLING rosé and I like drinking it with food!  Sweet pulled pork to a juicy steak.

#5:  What They Have Always Said Still Stands!

White wine with fish and chicken still hold true when at a barbecue.

White wines pair well with grilled fish and chicken, and some pork recipes, even those that call for blackened preparations or spice rubs.

White wine suggestions: Choose Chardonnay or a white Burgundy wine for the fattier fish (tuna, salmon, or trout). White Riojas and Chardonnays are the best pick for veggie burgers, and sometimes regular hamburgers.  Sauvignon Blanc (with higher acidity) or Sancerre (made from the same grapes as Sauvignon Blanc), Riesling, and Gewürztraminer pair with spice rubs and blackening seasonings.

Note, that changing things up is not a bad thing…Zinfandel with its smoke and fruit would be a nice pairing with barbecued chicken too (Remember Rule #1).

#6:  Weight of the Wine Pairs with Weight of Food:

Red wine suggestions: 

Pork, smoked meats, bacon, and even salmon = Lighter to medium weight reds like Pinot Noir and Tempranillo.

Hamburgers, steak, barbecued ribs, or beef tenderloin, only the big red wines will do. Bordeaux, California Cabernet, and Barolo are perfect matches. If meat is more heavily spiced try a Zinfandel or Zinfandel Blends, Australian Shiraz, Australian blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro, Argentine Malbecs OR, my favorite this year is a Rioja from Spain made from 100% Graciano grape.

#7: Bring Brews to the Barbecue!

I love BREW-B-Qing (i.e. barbecuing with beer) but I also recognize that beer pairs great with barbecue and it is cool and refreshing.  But, just like wine each protein (whether surf or turf) or vegetable has a singular flavor profile and deserves to be carefully coupled with a beer!

Beer suggestions:

Hefeweissbier/hefeweizen or Belgian-style witbier with a light citrus twist cuts through the salty, fatty cured meats, while bringing out the fresh flavors of the fixings (the lettuce and tomato on burgers and all the potato and pasta salad sides).  Also, pairs good with grilled vegetable or shellfish and with light citrusy mayo-based dishes like lobster rolls and potato salads.

Vintage Schlitz Poster 1952

Schwarzbier or black lagers with their slightly smoky finish matches well with grilled foods like burgers and steak

Farmhouse style to fruit forward ales pair nicely with grilled chicken.

Double Malts, Belgian-style dubbel, Stouts with lots of malt hold up to strong, gamy flavor of lamb and dominate the tangy vinegars and heat from some barbecues.

Imperial Porters are great with dry rubbed and/or smoked ribs.

Pilsner, unfiltered German-style lagers, and Ciders will pair with all of the sides from coleslaw to ceviche to creamy potato salad.

Belgium Saison, Indian Brown Ale, Scotch ale, India pale ale, and American brown ale pair good with sweet and acidic barbecue (mustard based sauce) and with the pies with sweet and bitter fruit (raspberry and rhubarb) and buttery crust.

#8 Bourbon and BBQ

Barbecue is a product of the American South therefore it makes sense to pair it with an American spirit that is also from the South.  But, bourbon is so much more than just a good pairing it is trendy!

Bourbons are getting a lot of attention and you will be seeing this combo on many a menus (in BBQ and paired with BBQ) in the future.  The way bourbon is made lends well to pairing perfectly with barbecue.  By law, bourbon must be made of a grain mixture that consists of at least 51 percent corn, making it taste sweeter than spirits created with a greater percentage of barley, rye, or wheat. After it is distilled, bourbon is aged in new American oak barrels whose insides have been charred, which imparts a sweet woodsy, vanilla flavor that complements meats that have been smoked or cooked. Plus, the mild sweetness of the brew pairs well with both the sweet and the spice of barbecue.

Here's my patriotic July 4th party punch that packs a punch!  

Smoking Cherry & Bour-bomb

Recipe courtesy Emily Ellyn

Yield:  6 servings

Marilyn Monroe, 1953
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Ingredients:

1 quart fresh lemonade

15 ounces bourbon (to taste preference)

6 ounces LiDestri’s Pink Limoncello

1 cup large cherries preserved in syrup (Bada Bing is a good brand)

1 Tablespoon liquid smoke

Directions:

The night before add liquid smoke to cherries and the syrup in jar or sealable container.  Allow to marinate over night.

To assemble drinks, pack six rock glasses with ice. Pour 2 1/2 ounces bourbon, 1 ounce Pink Limoncello, a splash of the Smokey cherry juice (from marinated cherries) into glass.  Then, top with lemonade.  Garnish each drink with smoky cherry.