Need some pairing suggestions for a bourbon and bites night.

[MtnDew]

Some friends from my church are hosting a bourbon and bites night, at this point we are looking at ~20 people there. I'm personally contributing some 2012 Stagg, 2013 Stagg, and CEHT Barrel Proof and I know one other who is bringing Stagg Jr. Between the two of us, those are some heavyweight pours in the ABV category. I'm curious if you guys here could recommend some good bites that you think would pair well with these. We will likely do something bacon wrapped (dates probably) but otherwise I'm not sure what direction to go.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[Zeke]

Howdy!

Low end: Pigs in a blanket, Jalepeno poppers, deviled eggs, smoked salmon

High end: Handmade small venison sausages in puff pastry, Fresno peppers stuffed with chipotle infused mascarpone, deviled duck (or quail) eggs, Hickory smoked catfish

I could go on, but I gotta get back to work... Have fun

[Lazer]

I usually do popcorn or corn chips. :cool:

[ChainWhip]

Peanut butter & Pretzels =]b

[tigerlam92]

Ok, if Zeke is having a party, I'll be going!

[MtnDew]

Ok, if Zeke is having a party, I'll be going!

[MtnDew]

Thanks for all the suggestions, the night went off well! We had many fun foods including bourbon glazed chicken flatbread, deviled eggs, bacon wrapped chroizo stuffed dates, and pear tart. The bourbon line up included Buffalo Trace, EHT Small Batch, EHT Barrel Proof, Stagg Jr, Stagg Sr (2012), Bookers, and Angels Envy. Oddly enough among all the non typical bourbon drinkers there the EHT Small batch won out as one of the favorites, go figure.

For the next one we are going to assign specific dishes to specific bourbons to try and limit confusion and do more set pairings, this was kinda of a try whatever approach which was fun but chaotic.

Thanks again for the suggestions?

[LostBottle]

I find bourbon pairs best with a giant glass.

[Zeke]

Howdy!

No kidding, thanks all for the suggestions and especially Zeke for the extra effort. I'm going to go with the bacon date things, probably pigs in a blanket, and likely a stuffed pepper of some kind.

Zeke, you mention smoked catfish, I always thought smoked food was better to pair with an Islay scotch, are you saying it will go well with bourbon? We still have some smoked brisket in the freezer from a recent batch in a friends smoker, I'm wondering if we could do something with that to make it work with the bourbon.

Thanks all!

Sorry for my tardiness, I somehow missed it the first time around.

There are a bunch of variables (all smoked catfish is not created equally...) But yes, I would imagine they would go together quite well. Last I heard there wasn't any good BBQ in Scotland, and there was tons of it in places where bourbon is consumed more than water. And yes, I know Smoked Catfish isn't exactly BBQ, but you get the picture.

When pairing, one of the things I pay particular attention to is what food and drink is consumed locally.

[AnotherCigarGuy]

Expecting an opportunity, or two, this coming week for some pairings.

picked up some dark chocolate, dried apricots and plums, and a chunk of Parmesan

cheese for shaving.

i'll let you know....