Question 1

What should I drink with tacos, mole, or Mexican food?

Accepted Answer

A mezcal Negroni or a chilled Palomino sherry. The smoke of mezcal handles chili heat; a saline sherry cuts through fatty carnitas and al pastor better than a heavy red.

Question 2

What wine goes with pasta and Italian food?

Accepted Answer

For red-sauce pasta, a low-tannin Italian red — Chianti, Barbera, or a chillable Frappato. For cream and cheese-heavy dishes, an unoaked white like Vermentino or Soave. Aperitivo hour: a Spritz, ideally with Select over Aperol.

Question 3

What pairs well with sushi and Japanese food?

Accepted Answer

Junmai sake at cellar temperature, or a very dry Champagne. Skip big reds. For ramen and izakaya food, a highball (Japanese whisky + soda) is the correct answer.

Question 4

What should I drink with a steak?

Accepted Answer

Cabernet, Malbec, or Northern Rhône Syrah — the tannin needs the protein to soften. A classic Manhattan works if you'd rather have a cocktail; the sweet vermouth and rye do the same job the tannin does.

Question 5

What is a good aperitif before dinner?

Accepted Answer

Something low-ABV and bitter: an Americano, a Spritz, a dry sherry, or a small glass of vermouth on the rocks. The goal is to sharpen your appetite, not blunt it.

Question 6

What is a good nightcap or drink after dinner?

Accepted Answer

A brown, stirred cocktail — Old Fashioned, Boulevardier, or a Negroni Sbagliato. Or a small pour of Armagnac. Something you'd sip, not slam.

What are you eating?

From The Food Dispatch → The Pour.