The food and beverages you have at your NYC event can make or break the entire experience. Choosing the right food and beverage pairing will help reinforce the theme, create memorable experiences, and elevate the event. As a professional event planner, you want people to leave your events feeling satisfied and happy. You want them to talk about their amazing experience and not about the disappointing meal or lackluster beverages.
Five Basic Flavors
When pairing beverages to an event menu, the first place to start is with the five basic flavors. Understanding these will help you identify what type of menu you have. Work backward from the type of food you have on the menu to choose the right type of beverage. You can identify the best beverages to pair with each dish from there. Acidic wines have a sharp or crisp feel in your mouth. They can taste almost refreshing. They pair beautifully with fatty, rich, or creamy food. This is similar to another basic flavor, fatty. Foods with fatty profiles need to be balanced with wine or another acidic beverage.
Another flavor is bitterness, which can be tasted in many strong red wines. These robust wines have bold flavors that can counterbalance rich foods or those with bold flavors. Salty is one of the most common and popular flavors. While you don’t want to serve overly salty food, there is a pleasing experience of balancing salty and sweet flavors. This can create an enjoyable contrast. No meal is complete without a sweet treat in the form of dessert. Sweet dishes can pair beautifully with the right wine. It could be a complimentary sweet wine or a contrasting acidic wine.
The Weight of the Food
Consider the weight of the dishes on your menu. The weight of the beverage you serve should match the weight of the food. For example, light and refreshing dishes pair best with lighter beverages. That way, you don’t risk the dish or the beverage overpowering the other. Consider pairing heavier beverages like a craft cocktail or beer if you need a beverage that has a more robust body.
Compliment or Contrast
Decide if you want the beverage and food pairing to complement or contrast each other. If they complement, the food and drink will have similar flavor notes that will allow the two to blend together for a cohesive experience. Contrasting beverages and plates will give the experience balance. The general guideline is to complement subtle flavors and contrast bold ones.
Wine Characteristics
When choosing a wine, consider its characteristics and how they will interact with the dish you plan to pair it with. Red wines are known for having bolder and more robust flavors. They are known for tannins that create a bitterness and drying effect in the mouth. White and rose wines are lighter with a slight fruity, acidic flavor. Within the larger categories of red and white wine, there are subcategories of types of red and white wines. Each has more defined characteristics that can create a more refined experience for your event guests. Bubbly wines are perfect as a palate cleanser. The bubbles work to clean the tongue for a refreshing experience that cleans the palate for the next course.
What Do You Love?
Another factor to consider is the client. If you are planning a private event for a client, you should consider the client’s tastes. For example, a light fish dish will pair well with a white wine. However, your client prefers Pinot Grigio or Zinfandel. This preference should guide your pairing, as it will appeal to your client’s palate and create a more enjoyable experience.
Event Theme and Aesthetic
To bring an event together, consider its theme and aesthetic. The food and beverage pairing that you choose should make sense for the event. You wouldn’t serve messy tacos and margaritas at an elegant black-tie event. If the event has a signature theme, you could look for a beverage that continues that theme.
Alcohol Content
You are hosting an event, not a frat party. Consider the alcohol content of the beverages you are serving the guests. If the alcohol content is too high, you can easily over-serve the guests. In addition, higher alcohol-content beverages will enhance the richness of the dishes being served. While this can be a benefit in some situations, it can make the flavors and experience overwhelming in others. You don’t want guests feeling stuffed and weighed down. It will hinder their ability to enjoy the event.
Create a Memorable Food and Wine Pairing
The best approach to creating the perfect food and wine pairing is to work with a brilliant NYC caterer who has experience serving your type of event. As a professional event planner, you are the go-to expert in planning and producing a memorable event. Trust the experts in food and beverage by working with the best in event catering. Attending events like The Event Planner Expo 2024 enables you to network and connect with these best-of-the-best industry professionals. Be sure to get your tickets. Be ready to meet them on the Trade Show Floor, too -
Reserve your booth at The Event Planner Expo 2024 and be an exhibitor yourself!
