Mead and Cider Pairings For Thanksgiving
The holidays have once again crept up on us and are now coming into full swing. Soon, we’ll be experiencing days, if not weeks, of leftovers, family and friends coming together, and so many sweets we’ll be hoping Santa brings new pants this year. Other than the get togethers, and the fridge full of tupperware, the holidays are marked by good food and good drinks. Whether it’s turkey, ham, tons of vegetables, or tons of carbs, we wash our holiday dinners down with a good drink.
Some choose non-alcoholic beverages such as juice, sparkling apple cider, water, or soda. Some will choose a type of sweet wine, beer, hard cider, or other pairings. To make the most of your meal and to be sure that the tastes complement each other, it’s always an option to pair the right drink with the right meal. Much like red and white wine, cider, mead, and beer have optimal pairings for different foods. Whether the meal is heavy, it’s veggie focused, or you’re trying something new, there is a match made for whichever portion of the dinner you prefer to focus on. Below, we’ll talk about which mead, cider, or beer goes best with different meats, different side dishes, and different desserts.
Pairings for The Meats
When it comes to both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, the main course tends to be on the heavier side. All that turkey, ham, or beef mixed with carbs can weigh on the stomach. If you want to pair your drink with your main dish, then you may want to consider one that’s on the lighter side. A cider, a white wine, or something with higher carbonation. If it isn’t the heaviness that you’re worried about, then a cider or higher carbonated drink will be suitable to complement the flavors and clear your palate as you make your way to other sides or even onto dessert.
If you’re looking to try some of our drinks with your holiday meal we have a few suggestions:
For ciders, Solstienn (hibiscus) and Massacre (tart cherry) are both strong, tart, dry ciders that would pair well with the main dish and meats. You could also try our Blood Brother or Blushing Maiden meads.
Pairings for The Side Dishes
The side dishes can become a little trickier when finding a perfect drink pairing because there are so many. Every family or get together will have an array of dishes to choose from, and some may not be the traditional mashed potatoes and gravy we usually see. They can range from veggies, to different salads, to potatoes and bread, and you even have an assortment of sauces like cranberry or vinaigrettes that can be sweet or tangy. For side dishes, it depends on how much room you want to save, or if you find that the majority of your sides will be salty, tangy, or vegetables. For these, you really can’t go wrong with cider, because the crisp taste, mixed with different spices can complement any side dish. As well, cider is light and can be a lower alcohol content making it great to sip on throughout dinner.
From our selection, we would suggest our Ulfberht cider. It’s a quince cider, off-dry, with flora and rose notes that pair well with appetizers and salads. For our meads, we would suggest Shadow Legion which is a basil and lime flavor, or Toby’s Tale which is tart cherry to add flavor while not putting too much weight on the stomach.
Pairings for The Desserts
The final dish of the night, and arguably the most important is dessert. Most desserts will be a type of pie that can be complemented with mead or cider that has more spice than sugar in it. You don’t want it to be so sweet you can’t enjoy your dessert, but you also want to make sure the flavors are balanced so both are enjoyable.
On our list, we have a number of ciders that will pair well with dessert, both sweet and dry. For sweet, you could try our Spirit Walker which is a Pommeau, port-style sweet cider that’s been barrel-aged. If you’re looking for something to cut the sweets, we suggest our Scurvy Mary, a grapefruit, and rosemary dry cider. You can also try our Blue Cloak & Ravens Claw mead.
There are plenty of drinks to choose from during the holidays and ultimately it’s difficult to pick the wrong one because your tastebuds are unique. We hope you enjoy not only the food and the drinks, but the time with family, friends, and whoever you choose to spend your holidays with!