Be it an Australian gin and tonic, a strong martini or simply sipping straight gin on ice, here is a list of some great foods to consider pairing with your gin at your next gathering.
Cheese
The creamy, fattiness of a strongly flavoured cheese is a perfect accompaniment for gin. Cheese has a pallet coating effect, the alcohol will taste even smoother and fuller bodied than normal, especially if sipping straight. Vintage cheddar and camembert are two great options, with goat’s cheese increasing in popularity lately. Australia has loads of great local cheese makers, make sure to give them your support!
Cucumber
Hendrick’s gin has a large cucumber component which has received international recognition. You can piggy back off Hendrick’s cucumber and gin pairing and include cucumber based dishes while drinking gin. Cucumber salads are a great option, as well as cucumber based canapé or appetisers such as small bite sized cucumber sandwiches or cucumber slices topped with feta, sun dried tomatoes and basil.
Quince paste
A great addition to any cheese platter, especially when paired with gin and camembert with crackers.
Instead of using quince paste, why not try a native jam on your cheese? This one is harder to find though. Headlands Distilling Co., could be releasing seasonal small batches of Illawarra Plum Jam as a side product with our locally foraged Illawarra Plums, stay tuned!
Click here to learn the Illawarra Plum Jam Recipe!
Salmon
There are various ways to cure salmon and lately, some really tasty recipes have emerged online for curing salmon with gin. Smoked salmon also pairs well with gin, with a squeeze of citrus giving an additional flavour boost. You can kill two birds with the one stone here, as many canapé recipes include cucumber and salmon together. See our recipe for Boobialla gin cured salmon here: (Coming soon!).
Berries
If you can find them, native Australian muntries are perfect here! If not, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries are a great snack to pair with gin. You can also put them into your gin and tonic directly for a tasty fruit cup.
Cured meats
Salami and chorizo are nice options here. Spicy or mild versions both pair well. Saltiness will enhance the gin’s flavour and the fattiness will provide additional mouthfeel and palate coating.
Macadamia nuts
Why not use a native Australian nut with your food platter? Macadamias are completely native to Australia. Almonds are another good option, though grown in Australia, they are native to Iran and surrounding countries in Asia [1][2]. If you have Bunya pines in your area, roasted Bunya nuts are another great Australian native option to pair with Australian gin.
Coriander
Coriander is one of the major ingredients of many gins. Light, fresh Vietnamese style food, rich in coriander is a great pairing for gin, particularly those with citrus notes. If your gin doesn’t have a citrus note, you can simply add a squeeze of lemon or lime to bridge the gap. Rice paper rolls are a delicious and healthy option.
References
[1] BĀDĀM – Encyclopaedia Iranica”. iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 25 May 2019. The Amygdalus communis (or Prunus amygdalus), though undoubtedly native to the Iranian land-mass, is seldom found in natural stands there today.
[2] Introduction to Fruit Crops (Published Online), Mark Rieger, 2006
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