Whiskey Sommelier Chris Straka has spent 20 years working in the restaurant industry as a beverage manager, and is now the moonshine master at Denver’s new炉膛＆DRAM.whiskey-focused bar (opening January 28)— a dark and wood-fired restaurant with 350+威士忌on the menu.
We sat down with Straka in an attempt to add some manly posh to our sometimes not-so-classy meals. Thanks to his whiskey know-how, we’re happy to report there’s a craft bourbon or rye for every dish you’ll eat this month. Yes, chips and鳄梨too.
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牛排牛排
对于简单的烤牛排，我会寻找一个非常好的波旁曼哈顿。当你烧烤时，你得到一个漂亮的炭，这是肉的焦糖，但也给牛排有点苦涩。用一点甜苦艾酒制作，波旁曼哈顿将为盘子提供更多的甜蜜，并用苦涩的格栅标记对比。
Soft Pretzel + Grey Poupon Mustard
I’d go with one of my favorites, and a very important Colorado whiskey,Leopold Bros. Distillery。它们制作了美式风格，更轻，更柔软，更平易近的威士忌，通常比富含丰富的BOURBONS轻。通常，威士忌不是很长的老化，不含重焦糖和水果口味。用那个椒盐卷饼，Leopold将通过第戎芥末，并与椒盐卷饼的咸味很好地工作。柔软的椒盐卷饼没有大，前锋口味，所以威士忌太重会过高。
Chips and Guacamole
Scotch. Something not too crazy. There’s a producer calledCompass Box。The one I recommend is the Hedonism. It’s really well balanced, smokey, with the hints of iodine you want to see in scotch. Normally with this dish you’d drink mescal which has smokeyness. Scotch would be similar.
is so delicate it can be overpowered very easily. I’ll revert back to a cocktail. Something very simple like a Whiskey Collins; made with Whiskey, lemon juice, sugar, and soda water. This cocktail has a little more acidity to tone down the alcohol. This would pair very nice with something that would be delicate on the pallet.
Pepperoni and Italian Sausage Pizza
A really niceRye whiskey。There’s a really good Colorado one out of Colorado Springs,291 Distillery。他们称之为他们的科罗拉多威士忌，因为它在黑麦中沉重，但并不像大多数那么沉重。通常，黑麦可以是80-95％的黑麦，但它们只使用约65％。你将以这种方式获得更多的香料特征（与香肠和意大利香肠配对的香料配对），但仍然是一个很多的波旁味，它带来了令人兴奋的味道和果味，称赞西红柿酱。绝对是黑麦披萨。
Chocolate Cake
威士忌的单个最大的配对之一是70-72％的Coco系列中的黑巧克力Islay Scotch。The reason is, that slightly sweet/slightly bitter richness pairs with the iodine of the scotch. Specifically, Islay scotch has more richness, more maltiness. I recommendLagavulin- 他们的16年是绝对的现象。
Spicy Chicken Wings
I would want to go with a wheat whiskey. Wheat whiskey’s (produced with a higher amount of wheat) typically have a sweeter characteristic. One of my favorites will come fromDry Fly Distillingout of Spokane, Washington. It’s got great complexity and is extremely well balanced. Any time it’s a spicy dish you want to have a little bit of sweetness to your whiskey pairing. Otherwise the heat can make the alcohol heavier on your pallet and bring out more of the burn.
Mac & Cheese
Stay with a really well balanced whiskey; I would go with aMaker’s Mark。If you wanted to up the ante, Maker’s Mark Reserve. And I would want it on the rocks. This is a really good sipping whiskey. It’s very smooth and won’t overpower the mac & cheese— which is not a complex dish. Stay away from your ryes. Cheese can be interesting because it’s fattiness sticks on your pallet. Maker’s Mark is a good drinking bourbon, and since they have a higher wheat, but they aren’t a wheat whiskey, it’s a little richer.
Apple Pie
Definitely young Rye whiskey because of the spices used in apple pie. For that I’m going back to a Colorado craft whiskey, theA.D. Laws，在丹佛生产。他们的Secale Rye是我现在最喜欢的Ryes之一。它有一个美丽的香料，可以匹配苹果派。这将是一个淘汰赛。
Lead photos courtesy Hearth & Dram
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