Who said that cocktails are only suitable for aperitifs or after dinner? Increasingly, in the most glamorous cocktail bars, the tendency to combine cocktails with a dish, the so-called "food pairing" is spreading. So why not repeat this trend at home and make your guests feel as if they were in the cocktail bar of their favorite city?
December is here and everybody knows that this period offers many occasion to organize more refined dinners; this is the opportunity to put aside the rush that characterizes everyday life and to immerse yourself in the most relaxed Christmas atmosphere.
This year we propose you to give a touch of originality to your celebrations, accompanying your favorite dishes with NIO Cocktails.
Food pairing is the scientific study of the combination of flavors, based on their molecular composition and is based on the concept that food or food together with drinks, match well with each other when they share the main aromatic components. Food pairing is not only a science, but also an increasingly popular trend: combining a cocktail with pizza or sushi, is now a consolidated habit and thanks to NIO Cocktails you can bring this original fashion to your home.
Your guests will surely be amazed and intrigued when you serve them a Manhattan instead of a glass of red wine. In addition to an extra touch for dinner at home, the cocktail to be combined with dinner can also be an original gift idea for those who are passionate or simply intrigued by the world of mixology and new trends in food & beverage.
NIO Cocktails is the ideal solution if you want to ride the wave of this trend because thanks to our cocktails, already perfectly mixed, you will not need to buy bottles for the various ingredients and you will not have to worry about being careful to perfectly balance the flavors. In this way you can only take care of dishes: you think about dinner, we’ll take care of the cocktail! The only missing ingredient? Ice!
Cocktails perfect for dinner.
Now we would like to suggest you the best cocktails for dinner. Our offer includes both classic cocktails, as well as more modern and even exclusive NIO Cocktails twists. We will also try to give you suggestions on the best dish to match with each cocktail and then you can choose whether to buy them all or if you decide to opt only for your favorites, in the option "5 Cocktails Box 5" or " 10 Cocktails Box ".
Manhattan: The Big Apple in a glass.
The flavor of Manhattan is complex, intriguing, sophisticated: three main suggestions are mixed in a timeless cocktail: the enveloping warmth of whiskey, the delicacy of vermouth and the bitter touch of Angostura.
What we can recommend to pair are especially red meats, roast beef, spicy dishes; also try with grilled vegetables. Also excellent with fish, which in many areas of Italy is never missing on Christmas tables: green light to tuna tataki (for a more exotic table) pasta with shellfish, fish balls.
Gimlet: simple and fresh
Il Gimlet is a simple cocktail mixed with Tanqueray Gin and lime. Wonderfully refreshing. If we want to think of a combination for assonance of flavors and sensations what can easily be associated is a guacamole sauce (in which the lime is an important protagonist) maybe served with a salmon or shrimp tartare. In general, the main characteristic of the cocktail is freshness, perfect then to be associated with cold dishes or reminiscent of the sea, also given the savory note that can be perceived while sipping the drink.
But since we are talking about Christmas holidays, which are certainly not known for light and dietetic dishes, this cocktail could also be ideal to accompany dishes rich in fat that need to cleanse the palate after having tasted them.
Gin Sour:the perfect balance between sweetness and sourness
The category of sours is one of the oldest in the history of cocktails, indeed it can be said that it represents the starting point for the art of mixing: the first to codify the recipe was in fact the great Jerry Thomas. Sours are based on a very simple balance: a sweet part (usually the sugar syrup), a more bitter part given by the lime or lemon juice and obviously a distillate that gives character to the mix.
Talking about Gin Sour we talk about Gin Tanqueray, which is an high quality, balanced and harmonious gin.
Its flavour is similar to that of Gimlet with an extra touch given by sugar, but, also in this case,the perfect match is with seafood or smoked fish, dishes that recall the freshness of this cocktail. Fish, garnished with a little lemon, will help to enhance the flavor of the cocktail. Also excellent with fried fish because the freshness of gin sour creates a pleasant contrast with the warm and crispy batter.
Vodka Sour: a refreshing mix with a spicy touch
If we think about the spirits of this cocktail, vodka, we immediately associate it with the world of mixology, but in countries like Russia or Poland, eating vodka is a custom that comes much earlier than the fashion of food pairing. So we take inspiration from cultures other than our own and try to think of dishes that can go well with a cocktail of vodka, il Vodka Sour. Generally everything that is cured, smoked or in brine works well. For your Christmas table we suggest you to accompany it with an appetizer with: smoked salmon canapés or with caviar eggs, aged cheeses, pickles or a Russian salad.
Golden Brown: aromas and elegance by NIO Cocktails.
A complex cocktail where the spicy flavor typical of bourbon is combined with the sweet vanilla and finally the elegant and aromatic coffee;it is vanilla that binds the flavors, leaving on the palate a sensation of warmth caused both by the strong character of bourbon and by the robust and toasted notes of coffee.
Golden Brown is ideal to enjoy at the end of the meal, when the flavor has now satiated and appears on the tip of the tongue the desire for sweetness to end the dinner. It is not a complete meal if it does not end with coffee and maybe even a good shot and this cocktail represents the perfect synthesis of these two moments of relax at the end of the dinner.
It matches perfectly also with sweet food with the same aromatic notes.
If you are curious enough,build your box with cocktails which are perfect for your holidays dinners or for an original and elegant gift.
Make the holiday atmosphere even more festive and surprise everyone with a menu different from the usual.
Cheers!