The Best Drinks To Serve With Lobster Tails
When preparing a special dinner, you want to ensure everything goes smoothly — the main dish is cooked to perfection, seasoned with herbs and spices that highlight its best qualities, and accompanied by delicious sides to complete the meal. The drinks we choose to serve are equally important, allowing us to experience our food in a new light by accentuating and even revealing new facets of their flavors and aromas. And with expensive seafood on the menu, the pressure to nail the pairings is even greater.
While it may seem like a daunting decision, lobster tails, with their delicate sweetness, subtle brininess, and rich buttery flavor, pair well with a broad range of beverage options. For an outstanding drink pairing that enhances the inherent characteristics of this ingredient, excellent choices can be found within the categories of white wine, citrusy beer, and bright or salty cocktails. The best beverage will depend on the various components of your meal, the flavors you wish to contrast or highlight, and your personal preferences.
Which drinks best complement lobster tails?
Lobster tails are a wonderful ingredient to work with because they can be framed in many different ways. No matter which culinary direction you take, you're in for a treat.
Like most seafood, white wine is a classic pairing choice. Consider a buttery Chardonnay to highlight the lobster's rich sweetness, a high-acid wine like Riesling to contrast it, or something bright and herbaceous like sauvignon blanc to bring a complex yet complementary flavor to your meal. If you prefer beer, wheat beers will offer citrusy, herbaceous notes that play beautifully with lobster. Lagers provide crisp and refreshing notes that balance the sweetness without overwhelming the crustacean's elegant flavors. If you're looking for a contrast in your pairing, choose a hoppy IPA. The bitterness of the beer and the rich, buttery meat might initially seem at odds, but they work incredibly well with the right preparation.
Last but not least: cocktails! If you want to pair your meal with a mixed drink, choose something spicy, bright, or acidic. Salty, citrusy margaritas are a great way to complement lobster's briny sweetness. If you're feeling adventurous, make a beer-based spritz cocktail to reap the benefits of each category and create a beverage that checks every box on your drink pairing bucket list. Or, if you want something simple and classic, a dirty martini's crisp, clean, and slightly salty flavors will not disappoint.
Remember that lobster preparation will impact pairings
While it's important to find a drink pairing that suits the star ingredient in your meal, remember that the way you prepare and flavor the lobster tails will also influence your drink pairings. Although not all ingredients are equally important, you'll want to consider the full flavor profile of your meal before choosing your beverage.
If you're planning to grill your lobster tails and dip them in butter, complement the imparted smokiness with a bold IPA that can stand up to the grill's char, or choose a bright, minerally Chablis to highlight the lobster's softer notes and cut through the richness of the butter. If you're preparing your lobster with citrusy and herbaceous flavors, consider balancing those notes with a buttery Chardonnay or a dry rosé. And if you want to keep your lobster simple, by steaming and serving it with butter or a cream sauce, bring acidity and herbaceousness to your meal with an unoaked Chardonnay or a citrusy, prosecco-based cocktail as a great choice.