Steak and bourbon pairing? Sure. Chocolate and bourbon? Been done. If that’s where your pairing journey ends, you’re missing out. There’s a whole world of food that plays surprisingly well with America’s native spirit. And a lot of it isn’t what you’d expect. At Bourbon Dose, we’re here to explore the odd combinations that somehow just work.
What Actually Makes a Good Bourbon Pairing?
Bourbon brings sweetness, spice, heat, oak, and often a bit of fruit. The right food can highlight or soften any of that. Fat balances heat. Salt sharpens sweet. Acidity cuts through oak. Think about bourbon as part of the dish—not something off to the side—and you’ll get somewhere.
Making The Perfect Bourbon Pairing
It comes down to balance. Bourbon’s a cocktail of flavor: sweet, spicy, oaky, smoky, sometimes fruity, sometimes nutty. The best pairings don’t just echo those notes, they play against them. Fat smooths out heat. Salt brings out sweetness. Acidity cuts through the oak. Once you start seeing bourbon as more than just a drink, and food as more than just a chaser. you’re in business.
1. Blue Cheese and a Bold Pour
High-proof bourbon can be aggressive. Blue cheese can be funky and salty. Put them together and you get balance. Something like Booker’s or Rare Breed next to a wedge of blue with a bit of honey and a walnut is all you need. The fat and salt tame the heat and pull sweetness out of the whiskey.
2. Ceviche and Something Light
Seafood and bourbon usually don’t mix. But citrus-heavy ceviche with something softer and fruit-forward, like Maker’s 46 or a wine-finished bourbon—can work surprisingly well. The acidity cleans everything up and brings out subtle notes you might otherwise miss.
3. Sour Candy and Rye Spice
It’s not fancy, but it’s fun. Grab some peach rings or orange slices and pair them with Bulleit or Four Roses Single Barrel. The sugar and fake fruit flavors knock down the rye spice and somehow make it all taste brighter.
Other Left-Field Bourbon Pairings to Test:
- Dark chocolate pretzels with Weller Special Reserve
- Butternut squash and Elijah Craig Small Batch
- Hot honey fried chicken with Wild Turkey 101
- Char siu pork buns and Larceny
- Pound cake and vanilla ice cream with Woodford Double Oaked
Throw a Pairing Party
Line up a few bottles, raid your fridge and pantry, and let your friends be the judges. Go sweet, go salty, go weird. The only rule: no rules. (And maybe keep a backup pizza on hand.)
Final Pour
The best bourbon pairing isn’t always the fanciest one. It’s the one that surprises you. The one that makes you stop mid-sip and say, “Wait… that actually works.”
So next time you’re sipping something good, skip the steak. Pass the gummies. Tear into a wedge of cheese that smells like a barn. And enjoy the ride.
New to bourbon? Start with our top beginner picks and why they work here.