Nothing better to relax than having a good drink, they come in all size and flavor but when it comes to having a nice drink to enjoy with a meal, things can change, there are some amazing cocktails that can make your eating experience a lot more enjoyable, making the flavors come to life, giving you a new experience even from those oyster you have been having for years or that ceviche from your favorite place.
So when it comes to seafood there is a wide variety of cocktails you can have from the classics to the fruity or the dry varieties, giving you a whole new experience to make your palate go crazy.
Vodka
Let’s start then with Vodka, this smooth distilled alcohol is perfect for mixing, since it’s flavor is completely neutral it can be used in millions of ways, it can be fruity, sour, dry, sweet and more, it gives a wide range of experimentation to make sure you can enjoy your meals in a way you have never experienced before.
1. Sex in the driveway
This is a sweet drink but thanks to the sprite it adds a good tartness, it is strong and refreshing and perfect for meals rich in fat like clams and oysters since they have plenty of Omega 3 and 6, this cocktail adds mainly citrus and peach being super refreshing and perfect for a sunny day on the beach, and no mixing or shaking involved so it is super easy to make.
Ingredients
1 oz. Peach schnapps
1 oz. Blue Curacao
2 oz. Vodka
Top with Sprite
2. Moscow mule and Mule union
For the fish lovers there is the classic Moscow mule but there is also a variation the only difference being that the union replaces the vodka for mescal, each of this cocktails bring a unique touch to the dish, and the lemon notes help to clean the palate between bites, now to make this drinks just add ice and squeeze lime juice on a copper mug, pour the vodka and then the ginger beer and give it a gentle stir, and for the variation just add all the ingredients to the cocktail shaker, give it a good shake and pour on the copper mug and garnish with ginger, cucumber, and Chile dust.
Ingredients
Moscow Mule
2 oz. Vodka
½ oz. Lime juice
6 oz. Ginger beer
Mule union
2 oz. Mezcal union
3 oz. Ginger beer
0.75 oz. Lemon juice
1 slice of cucumber
1 slice of ginger
1 tsp. Chile dust
Gins
Now let’s move to the gin, it is one of the best kinds of alcohol to use when having seafood and it can be used alongside rum, brandy or vodka to help the delivery of that punch of flavor.
3. The Chelsea sidecar
This cocktail is amazing with seafood, it is not so sweet but it is fruity and if a lemon infused gin is used the strong citrus is going to complement a lot the seafood, this drink is perfect for appetizers and it is easy to make, just add the ingredients with ice on a cocktail shaker and give it a nice shake then strain into a glass and you are good to go.
Ingredients
1 oz. gin
1 oz. triple sec
1 oz. lemon juice
4. Stinger
Just like the previous drink this one has the refreshing touch of the gin and the lemon but, it is less fruity and goes for a more herbal approach and it goes great with Lobster or with oysters. A good shake of all the ingredients is all you need to make this drink
Ingredients
1 oz. London Dry Gin
0.25 oz. of Chartreuse
3 dashes of bitters
Rums
Moving on to the rums we can find plenty of marvelous cocktails for different kind of meals but for seafood and fish, we recommend these ones.
5. The Rickey
One of the most suitable drinks for ceviche, it has lime notes that don’t overcome the already present citrus on the dish, but it is a great compliment that enhances the flavors, perfect for a sunny afternoon. To make this drink just add the Gin, lemon juice and the sour mix on a cocktail shaker, shake and strain on a high ball glass and top with water and garnish with the lime slice.
Ingredients
0.25 oz. gin
1 oz. Sour Mix
3 oz. water
0.5 Fresh Lime juice
1 Lime Slice
6. Yellow bird
This drink is meant to pair with a meal since it acts like a white wine, but adding some citrus from the orange and the lime but a smooth sweet touch from the vanilla the anise and the oak notes perfect for fish and seafood, to prepare the drink just add all the ingredients on a cocktail shaker, give it a nice shake and strain it on a martini glass and garnish with a lime wheel.
Ingredients
2 oz. white rum
1/2 oz. Cointreau
1/2 oz. Galliano (sweet herbs liqueur)
3/4 oz. lime juice
7. The ranger
This drink is actually a combination of the oak notes of the Rum and the herbal of the gin, on this drink, those herbal notes get a little bit pushed back but it helps with the lemonade kind of flavor of the drink, making it a great choice for seafood. Just like the previous drinks, a good shake of the ingredients with ice is all you need, and it is meant to be poured on a martini glass with a lemon twist garnish.
Ingredients
1 oz. white rum
1 oz. gin
1 oz. lemon juice
1/4 oz. gomme syrup or simple sugar (approx. 1 tbsp.)
So there you have it, the most refreshing and easy to make drinks you could ever ask to pair with seafood and fish, all of them offer a great and unique, dare yourself to try new experiences with new things or with old favorites, please enjoy.