How To Pair Foods With High-Proof Bourbons, According To An Expert

When pairing food with liquor, it's generally a good idea to go with something that won't distract away from the meal. The drink should embrace the dish, not dominate it. High-proof bourbons can be hard to pair with food, but there are a few ingredients that mirror its intensity. We spoke to an expert to discover the best foods to eat with high-proof bourbon.

The key difference between high-proof bourbon and low-proof bourbon is the strength of the drink. High-proof bourbon has a higher alcohol content and less water, thus giving it a headier taste that fully showcases its notes. It's because of this that Chris Blatner, executive bourbon steward and creator of @urbanbourbonist on Instagram, prefers to pair pungent meals with the whiskey. "For high-proof bourbons, you want bold flavors like smoked brisket, blue cheese, or even dark chocolate," Blatner says. "The intensity of the bourbon needs something equally robust to stand up to it, and these flavors offer the right amount of richness to create balance," Blatner explains.

Though these three foods vary in things like sweetness and zest, they all have incredibly vivid flavors that are the foremost thing you taste in whatever they're included in. The best high-proof bourbons complement the velvety flavor of dark chocolate, mirror brisket's smoky taste, and balance out blue cheese's signature tang. You can either sip bourbon along with these bold foods or work them into the recipe with a glaze or dressing.

Adapt this coffee-rubbed steak recipe and add in some cocoa powder for a slightly sweeter flavor. Though it comes with a hint of sweetness, cocoa powder is also earthy and bitter, making it great for balancing out the bold, honeyed flavor of bourbon. Heat the steak up on the grill to seal it with a smoky taste or add in some chili powder to the spice blend and sear it on the stovetop.

Speaking of smoky, smoked brisket is perfect for adding more depth to high-proof bourbon. One of the downsides of choosing whiskey with a higher alcohol content is that some of the tasting notes are pushed more into the background in favor of the bolder ones being more perceptible. A heady brisket could help imbue the bourbon with a smokiness that got lost in translation. When making the spice rub for the meat, focus on deep, spicy flavors that are present in the bourbon. Ingredients like brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and star anise provide the brisket with a warm, luscious flavor to complement the whiskey. Balance out the spice blend with some garlic and onion powder, as well as rosemary.

A blue cheese-stuffed burger with fig and pear is another good match. It has a dynamic sweet, rich, and tangy taste that can go toe-to-toe with a high-proof bourbon. While the savory beef and sticky figs provide loads of richness, the sharp blue cheese balances out the dark, velvety flavors of bourbon.