When it comes to cheese pairings, cocktails are one thing we’ve always got on our minds. No matter the season, there’s a beverage recipe to suit the flavors you’re looking for, and we’re breaking down some of our own creative versions of classic cocktails in the hope that you’ll be inspired to stock up your bar cart (and your cheese selection) and mix up your own flavor combinations.
Truth or Pear
This stunning sipper, based on a combination of a classic highball and a spritz, is the perfect blend of crisp, woodsy flavor and bright fruit. Braulio, an amaro with a slight pine forest essence, combines perfectly with gin’s botanical undertones, and we’ve offset these sharp notes with a hearty helping of grapefruit juice and premium pear jam to create a cocktail that’s not too sweet and not too bitter. For cheese pairings, we love something nutty and mellow, with a rustic simplicity to bring out those earthy tones, like Murray’s 1 Year Manchego or Tomme de Savoie.
Date in the Afternoon
Sometimes called the “Hemingway Champagne,” the classic French cocktail Death in the Afternoon is said to have been created by the famous writer, and it’s come in plenty of iterations since its inception, including this fruity adaptation. Typically, it features Champagne with a splash of absinthe, but we’ve made things a little sweeter with the addition of our own homemade Medjool Date Syrup. Rich and boozy, this cocktail is made for light, velvety cheeses like Kunik and Selles-Sur-Cher that have a lot of butterfat and a sweeter profile.
Cherry Dangereuse
We’re blending cherry and raspberry into one smooth beverage with this potent potable that’s based off of one of France’s most famous cocktails: The Rose. Popular in Paris during the 1920s, this drink typically contains vermouth, cherry eau de vie, and fruit syrup. In our version, we’ve made a raspberry shrub to complement the cherry liqueur, creating a rich mix of bright fruit flavor that gets mellowed out with a dash of vermouth. For sweet sippers, we like soft, creamy cheeses that have a light, buttery profile–think Humboldt Fog or a triple cream.
Classic Martini
There’s a reason this James Bond favorite is a timeless happy hour selection–the combo of gin, vermouth, and olive brine is a crisp, clean blend of intense flavor that pairs well with just about anything. For this dirty Martini, we’ve topped it off with bright Castelvetrano olives, and picked a few bold cheeses to complement the cocktail’s strong, boozy essence. For alcohol-forward drinks, we like brothy, floral, and even meaty cheeses, like flower-coated Alp Blossom, a traditional English cheddar, or a spruce-wrapped wheel like Harbison.
Want to craft your own versions of timeless cocktails? Our selection of pantry staples like jam, honey, and syrups is the perfect place to start stirring up something special.
