4 Bar Foods From History We Think Deserve A Renaissance

While bars of bygone eras had to offer food to accompany strong drinks, the presence of bar food has dwindled over time for a number of reasons, including cost, logistics, and a change in necessity and legality. In this current landscape, bar food and behavior looks a lot different. You might find a bowl of salty snacks offered alongside drinks at your local dive, put out with the intent to inspire more thirsty purchases, but the days of classy canapés served with cocktails are mostly long gone. The modern convenience of restaurants ranging from quick service to fine dining often means that these food offerings are paired up with a list of cocktails, rendering food in bars somewhat redundant; however, there's still room for compact snacks at a local dive. 

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Taking inspiration from historic taverns, bars, saloons, and alehouses of yesteryear, there's a lot to be said for the advantage of pairing your favorite drink with a light bite. With some laws changing around the U.S. in 2020 requiring establishments that serve alcohol to offer small meals, there's no time like the present to take inspiration from the past and provide a selection of bar foods that are both filling and fulfilling. From finger foods of the Prohibition era to potted meats of colonial taverns, spiced cakes served in 17th century alehouses, and deviled eggs that can be traced all the way back to ancient Rome, it's time for a revival of the best bar foods from history.

Seafood canapés from the Prohibition era

Speakeasies of the U.S. Prohibition era needed to serve food to cover patrons' clandestine alcoholic indulgence. Having something to snack on would both allow drinkers to sober up before leaving the underground establishments and avoid drawing attention from law enforcement for public drunkenness. The kind of foods you could expect to find at a Prohibition era speakeasy included a variety of finger foods, such as seafood-heavy canapés, and more. In addition to being a sober-up food, having a pungent seafood snack could, of course, also cover up any potential smell of alcohol on a person's breath to avoid arousing suspicion. 

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Although jellied anchovy molds are no longer as popular as they were back in those days, there's still room on the bartop for more appealing seafood appetizers. Seafood canapés are seriously overdue for a comeback and can easily be matched up to a variety of complementary cocktails. Consider the elevated tastes that would come from pairing a batch of handheld crab cake sliders with a dirty gin martini. Or, imagine holding an Old Bay-rimmed martini in one hand and a hearty, miniature lobster roll in the other. Assemble a carefully crafted cracker and cheese combo with a small spoon of caviar on top and the punch of salty flavor will perfectly coordinate with the savory cocktail of your choosing.

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Potted meats served in colonial taverns

Taverns of the colonial era were home to beer, ale, and bar foods, including oysters, sandwiches, and potted meat. Although the term "potted meat" does not initially conjure up the most aesthetically pleasing images (despite being F. Scott Fitzgerald's favorite comfort snack), you'll be happy to know that the French version of this snack, rillettes, has a much more appealing name and a variety of styles that would be perfect for any bar setting. The method for preparing a rillette is similar to that of a confit, essentially salting the meats and cooking them in fat. This can be done with duck, pork, beef, and more, which would be an ideal accompaniment to several different cocktails.

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It would be a boon for bar food to provide potted meat dishes that harken back to the taverns of yore with a modern twist. Considering how many different types of canned meats there are, you could easily match up your favorite version of a rillette with a coordinating drink. For example, pork rillettes spread on toast would go well with a lush blended piña colada or another sweet tropical drink. A classic salmon rillettes recipe could accompany a number of savory cocktails for a satisfying pairing. With so many creative uses for canned Spam, just imagine the potential if bars were to get on board with serving potted meat snacks.

Spiced cakes from 17th century alehouses

The 17th century was an era of alehouses serving eponymous drinks and a bevy of different foods, including cold cuts, rice pudding, pies, breads, and more. One hallmark of this time period was the rising popularity of cake, most notably that which was dubbed the "great cake," a massively oversized recipe that would require a commercial oven to replicate in the modern day. In a similar vein, miniature portions of spiced cakes and buns were common sweet staples of 17th century alehouses, which would make excellent bar food today. 

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Not only does having a sweet and dense dessert do wonders to balance out a strong drink, it also complements the flavors of your favorite sweet and spicy spirited beverages. Leaning into an alcohol-infused palate, a simple spiced rum Bundt cake recipe would be an ideal accompaniment to a spiked wassail punch or spiced cider. This would also make a great pairing with any number of rum-based tiki cocktails, particularly those that include spices like nutmeg and cinnamon or almond-flavored syrups such as orgeat. Imagine noshing on a mini spiced cake baked in a fun shape whilst indulging in an umbrella-worthy cocktail at your favorite watering hole.

Deviled eggs from 1800s taverns

Deviled eggs have a longstanding history dating back to ancient times, and gained a prevalence among saloons and taverns of the 1800s. Pickled eggs were also a popular bar food of that time period, though both egg-based snacks have fallen by the wayside as far as being offered at bars. These protein-rich, bite-sized offerings could go a long way in a bar setting both as dishes to complement an array of spirited cocktails and of their own accord as a show-stopping savory treat. The variety of creative ingredients for upgraded deviled eggs lends itself to being bar food royalty in no time.

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It's easy to see how many different and delightful flavor pairings bars could make combining stylish deviled eggs and bespoke cocktails. Consider pairing an umami-rich take on deviled eggs that uses Kewpie mayo, soy sauce, and shichimi togarashi seasoning with a refreshing sake cocktail. An extra spicy deviled egg would also make a great go-with for a Bloody Mary that brings the heat. Even a batch of deviled eggs made with pickled beets would be a satisfying and subtle nod to its pickled egg cousin, particularly if served with an extra dirty martini. Whether or not bar food is a necessity, it could certainly do wonders to elevate your overall cocktail experience. Here are more underrated food and cocktail pairings to try in the meantime.

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