Quick take: pair a Daiquiri cocktail with a Rigotte de Condrieu
In our cheese + cocktail pairing project, I combine my cocktail know-how with the encyclopedic cheese knowledge of Jennifer Greco of Chez Loulou for a series of classic cocktail and cheese pairings.
I’m still celebrating a Summer of Rum, where I’m trying different classic cocktails with a variety of rums. It’s been fun – but also made me realize that we’ve never paired up the ultimate classic rum cocktail with cheese. The daiquiri. So, for August, we decided to do just that.
August Pairing: Daiquiri cocktail with a Rigotte de Condrieu
Tips, Tricks & Lessons learned:
- We chose the Rigotte de Condrieu as the best pairing for the Daiquiri because the combination was better than just the sum of their parts. It leaves a pleasant tartness at the back of your throat and the cheese really rounds out the cocktail.
- In addition to the Rigotte de Condrieu, Pont-l’Evêque also went well with the cocktail.
- If you’re looking to stretch the pairing experience a little, other possible choices are the fresh Chevre frais (ups the acidity of the cocktail), Emmental (which also brightens the acidity in the cocktail), or the mi-vieux Mimolette (the combination of flavors lingers in the mouth and neither overpowers).
- Tomme de Savoie was pretty neutral in terms of pairing, so while it might not add anything it would be an inoffensive one to add to the board.
- Cheeses that made for an uninteresting or unpleasant pairing: Brie de Meaux (brightens cocktail but leaves a bitter finish), Cantal (dulls the drink) and Saint-Félicien (dulls drink but also brings out an unpleasant sharpness).
- In general bloomy rind cheese may not be the best pairing for this cocktail.
- The end result on the flavor profile will vary greatly depending on which rum you use, so experiment with different types of rum to find your favorite version. We used Plantation Isle of Fiji for this pairing.
- Recipes vary the proportions, but for our experiment we went with a pretty classic recipe. But feel free to experiment by tweaking the sweet or sour factors.
- I strain my citrus juice before measuring and adding it to the shaker (rather than double straining the cocktail at the end) because it makes a more accurate and better balanced finished product.
Daiquiri Cocktail recipe
45 ml (1.5 ounce) rum, your choice. (We used Plantation Isle of Fiji)
30 ml (1 ounce) freshly squeezed lime juice
15 ml (½ ounce) simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar mixed together to form a syrup)
Shake all ingredients together and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
If you’re here, I already know you like cocktails. But, if you want to learn more about these or other cheeses, I recommend some time on Jennifer’s blog and Instagram.
Up next: What Cheese to Pair with an Amaretto Sour
