Overview
Now that you can start inviting friends round for an overdue catch up, we'd like to help you out with a refresher on how to play host. Sure, maybe you want to show off all those loaves of sourdough you've been baking (and we won't stop you), but to truly rise to the occasion, why not pair it with some delicatessen quality cheeses and a celebratory round of passion fruit martinis? It's an unusual pairing, but these are unusual times.
We've partnered with Pernod Ricard to bring you four indulgent food and drink pairings that'll bring you back to not-so socially distant times with classic matches like freshly shucked oysters and rosé to more surprising flavour matches, such as a massaman curry with sour cocktails. Bonus: each one can all be delivered to your doorstep, so you can keep the best of lockdown convenience next time you're having your mates over.
Stinking Bishops
MATCH A PLATTER OF CHEESE WITH PORN STAR MARTINIS
We know the classic pairing is white wine with mild cheese and red (or more tannin-heavy styles) with blues and mature cheeses, but we'd like to suggest a more playful match that adds a little fizz to the mix. The London-born cocktail porn star martini is sweet and celebratory — it's traditionally served with a shot glass of champagne — and pairs particularly well with blue cheese, comté and brie. The sweet concoction cuts through most creamy cheeses, as well as dense dried fruits and quince.
What to order: Sydneysiders can order European and Australian farmhouse cheeses direct from Formaggi Ocello, or from Stinking Bishops via Doordash. In Melbourne, you can order hampers of 'all Victorian' or 'all soft' cheeses from Milk the Cow. Speciality cheese shop Harper and Blohm also delivers cloth-bound cheddars, gooey soft cheeses and stinky blues from its Brunswick store. And Brisbanites should head to Le Fromage Yard who is delivering a combo of three cheeses, quince and crackers for $55.
Pair with: a round of porn star martinis made with Absolut Vanilla.
East 33
SHARE A DECADENT SEAFOOD FEAST WITH BONE-DRY ROSE
You'll hardly be surprised to hear that a delicate, textural rosé sits well with a platter of grilled prawns. It's practically a national drink pairing come summer, so we're here to say make the most of those lingering warm days and fire up the barbie. There are nuances you can consider when matching your rosé to your ocean catch; light, dry styles (often pinot noir based) work well with raw and lightly cooked shellfish, and medium-dry or sweeter wines (such as zinfandel) work best with salads, dessert or foods with a bit of spice.
What to order: In Sydney, sustainable seafood eatery Fish & Co delivers cold cooked king prawns and fresh oysters via Deliveroo. When you want to go all out, order from East 33 — supplier to the country's best restaurants. In Melbourne, there's been no better time to indulge in a delivery from fine diner Minamishima — order the box-pressed hakozushi, a specialty of chef Hide. And in Brisbane, Sushi Edo has nigiri and aburi nigiri available via Deliveroo.
Pair with: a cold bottle of Jacob's Creek Le Petit Rosé. The blend of pinot noir, grenache and mataro is a perfect match for seafood.
Continental Deli by Kitti Gould
GRAZE ON CHARCUTERIE WITH A SUBTLE SPANISH RED
It's a similar method for matching wine with cured meats — lighter styles of wine are better bedfellows for lighter flavoured meats. And while a charcuterie board is an assembly of cured meats, we also like to add cheese, fruit, cornichons and nuts to the mix, so look at the flavour balance as a whole. Generally speaking, saltier foods are best paired with acidic wines and those with bolder tannins complement smoky flavoured meats.
What to order: In Sydney, Bel and Brio has ready-to-serve charcuterie platters (including white truffle honey, prosciutto, salame felino and mortadella) via Deliveroo. Or, order Continental Deli's cheese and charcuterie platter (with brie, comté, jamón and sopressa) via Bopple. Melburnians can pick up from Windsor's Tipico, which has salumi misti as well as pizza, pasta and dessert. And D.O.C. also has local delivery and takeaway of its salumi and cheese boards from $17. In Brisbane, there's a dedicated charcuterie delivery service called Say Cheese, which is packing boxes of platter-ready cheeses, cured meats, olives, dips and crackers to all suburbs, as well as Rosalie Gourmet Market which has a decadent charcuterie box for $84.99.
Pair with: a bottle of Campo Viejo Tempranillo — expect woody and vanilla notes with ripe red fruits and spices.
Chin Chin
PAIR A THAI FEAST WITH SOUR PINK COCKTAILS
As Thai dishes balance sweet, sour, salt, spice, bitterness and aromatic flavours, you can pair them with almost any sweet–sour cocktail. If it's been a while since you've enjoyed a table full of share plates and chinked glasses with loved ones, perhaps you can take a step towards bringing the flavour party back home with a round of colourful cocktails. Whether you prefer whisky, gin or tequila as your base, go big or go home on theatrics. We suggest shaking up this pink concoction with strawberry-infused gin.
What to order: In Sydney, you can get speciality dishes from award-winning restaurant Spice I Am, such as the pad prik pao pork belly. And in Melbourne and Sydney, Southeast Asian restaurant Chin Chin is offering a takeaway service direct from its website, including curries, roasts and barbecued dishes. In Brisbane, Phat Elephant has whole barramundi platters and mixed entree plates via Deliveroo, and Same Same in Fortitude Valley is running a daily delivery service of its curries and salads.
Pair with: London dry gin Beefeater Pink.
Right now, Pernod Ricard is offering a $10 Deliveroo voucher for every $50 spent on a select range of its wine and spirits — bought online or in-store at its partner liquor stores. Find out more, here.
Top image: Continental Deli by Kimberley Low.