Making your special someone a home-cooked meal is a romantic (and economical) way to celebrate Valentine’s Day. But remember that wine isn’t the only beverage that pairs well with food.
Cocktails, liquor and beer can compliment a meal. And since you’re in control of the food and the drink, there are a lot of ways you can tie the meal and the beverage together.
For example, you can add a garnish or ingredient to your cocktails that is also used in the meal. So add a sprig of rosemary to your martini to go along with rosemary chicken, and so on.
These tantalizing Valentine’s dinner menu suggestions aren’t too complicated to do at home yet still impart the proper special occasion fanciness the night calls for.
Here are just a few food and drink couples for the happy couple:
Salmon and gin cocktails
The crisp but mild herb goodness of gin is an excellent match for the buttery woodsy flavor of salmon. Both salmon and gin go well with herbs and citrus. You can serve grilled salmon with citrus sauce with a gimlet. Or try salmon with fennel and Pernod with a gibson.
Meat and scotch
Traditional wisdom says scotch is too strong to pair with food. However, a nice single malt’s smokey flavor can be a good compliment to gamy meats such as lamb or venison.
Pork and fruit
Pork goes really well with pears, pomegranate and apples. So why not serve your pork dish with a cocktail based on one of those flavors? This pork tenderloin could be a good match for a pomegranate pear cocktail.
