Food and drink pairings for holiday parties: From appetizers to after-dinner drinks

Have you ever gotten dressed for a fancy party and put on the wrong shoes with your outfit? One look in the mirror and you just knew they didn’t go together and you were not going to leave the house looking like that!

Well, at your holiday party, pairing the right food with the right drink is just as important. It can elevate your holiday meal from just good to chef’s kiss!

“You want a menu of food and drink that complement each other and give your guests a really great experience throughout the meal,” said Chef Ryan Rondeno, author of “My Creole-Cali Kitchen.”

“If you do not consider this, you might choose a drink that overpowers the flavors of the meal or they just don’t taste good together.”

For example, Chef Ryan suggests pairing scallops, which are considered sweet, with perhaps a mildly sweet blood orange and rosemary cocktail.

“The herbaceous and citrus notes really blend well with the sweetness of the scallops,” he explained. “However, I wouldn’t pair it with something too strong, or something you should just sit and sip, like an espresso martini or a cappuccino.”

If you do want to serve the trendy and popular espresso martini, Chef Ryan suggests pairing it with a dessert, such as a chocolate cake. “Those flavors work really well together,” he said.

At many holiday parties, hosts put trays of small, one-bite appetizers out for guests. It’s typically at the same time when they are grabbing drinks and getting the party started.

“If you are making, say, raw oysters as an appetizer, choose a lighter drink, such as a champagne or prosecco to go with it,” said Chef Ryan.

One of Chef Ryan’s most popular appetizers at his parties is a deviled egg caviar and crab meat salad (see recipe).

“With this small bite, I offer a light spritz or gin-based cocktail that pairs well. If you prefer to serve wine, choose a chardonnay or sauvignon blanc.”

For those who prefer meat, Chef Ryan often serves a chicken dish, such as the open-faced fried chicken tartines, with a whiskey cocktail. “Add some cinnamon in it for the holidays too, but you will see that the flavors taste really well together.”

You’ve probably heard that red wine and beef go hand-in-hand and Chef Ryan agrees. “Beef skewers are popular at holiday parties, served with a chimichurri or a kimchi sauce,” he said. “Add a nice red Cabernet alongside that dish pulls the flavor of the beef out.”

If you are planning a sit-down meal, what you serve and how it tastes with the entree may depend on your guests. “Often we see people who made or ordered a cocktail at the start of the event, like tequila, and they are sipping it through the entire meal,” said Chef Ryan. “If you are offering tequila, you might want to make a barbecue spice chicken made with tequila and pomegranate or citrus, for example. Those flavors really stand up to each other.”

Often holiday parties will transition from heavier cocktails during happy hours to wine with dinner.

“If you’re serving lamb, chicken or duck, using pinot noir is a nice rich flavor that will go well with those dishes,” said Chef Ryan. “If you’re serving short ribs, which is nice and comforting during the holidays, you definitely want to offer a cabernet sauvignon. If you’re moving on right to a chocolate dessert, a nice glass of port wine or something a little lighter, will work.”

Don’t forget to pull out all the stops for your holiday get together and think of pops of color or serving traditional holiday drinks.

“People really don’t drink wassail much anymore, but a blood orange spritz or cranberry cocktail would look like the holiday,” said Chef Ryan. “Eggnog is a popular holiday treat, but in most cases, people sip an eggnog all night long. It’s not usually paired with dinner.”

If you’re uncertain what to serve, provide a few options. You can even try out the combos before the night of the party and see how they complement — or don’t — each other. Most importantly, have fun!

Deviled Eggs, Crab Salad, Caviar

Caviar and crabmeat make the perfect complement to dress up the deviled egg. The flavors are elegant yet bring nostalgia and are great made a day ahead.

For the Deviled Eggs

6 eggs

2 tablespoons kosher salt

¼ teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon cornichon pickling brine*

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

*If you do not have a jar of cornichons, regular pickle juice is a great substitution.

For the Crab Salad

8 ounces lump crabmeat

⅟₂ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard

2 tablespoons sliced scallions

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon hot sauce

1 tablespoon Creole Rub (page 289)

For the Garnish

4 ounces paddlefish, osetra, or beluga caviar (see page 37 in Rondeno’s book)

⅟₂ bunch scallions, thinly sliced

For the Deviled eggs:

In a 4-quart pot, add the eggs and salt to 2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Fill a large bowl with ice and add enough water to cover. Remove eggs from boiling water and add to the ice bath. Once eggs are cool enough, peel and rinse under cold water. Cut eggs in half. Remove the yolks, transfer them to a bowl, and mash. Add the paprika, yellow mustard and mayonnaise. Add the cornichon pickling brine. Mix until it forms a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper.

For the Crab Salad:

In a medium bowl, add the crabmeat, mayonnaise, stone ground mustard, scallions, lemon juice, hot sauce, and Creole rub. Fold ingredients until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the finish:

Using a piping bag, pipe egg yolk mixture into each egg white. Spoon 1 teaspoon of crab salad on top of the deviled egg. Add caviar of choice. Garnish with sliced scallions.

Serve on a platter.

Serves 4-6

— Chef Ryan Rondeno, author of “My Creole-Cali Kitchen”