Best Bar Snacks to Pair with Bourbon
Editor's note: I'll never forget nibbling on the garlic and goat cheese spread at Bourbon's Bistro in Louisville with a glass of bourbon. Bourbon and goat cheese? Yes! Woodford Reserve famously pairs its bourbon with shards of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Bourbon and snacks
Recently, I visited Michter’s The Bar at Fort Nelson on Main Street in Louisville, and when we were seated, we were served a little tray of snacks while we looked over the menu. The tray was divided into three parts, and one part contained corn nuts, another part dried banana chips, and the third part contained plain bagel chips with salt. Each of those things seemed to pair so well with our Bourbons and I began to wonder: how do you even go about figuring out what kinds of snacks to serve with Bourbon?
Quicos, Banana Chips and Bagel Chips
Banana chips, Quicos and bagel chips
“So obviously, there's the back end of it where the not as interesting portion is that they're all shelf-stable items,” says Michter’s The Bar at Fort Nelson bartender Dallas White. “They're easy to get a hold of, easy to disperse. Nothing is too intricate. So that's easy for us. But obviously, there's thought behind the choices. Corn Nuts are the staple, and they're not specifically Corn Nuts, they're Quicos, which is a Spanish version. They're larger and not quite as hard. They kind of have their own flavor outside of what we expect from your gas station Corn Nut, which everybody has had and maybe loved on a road trip or something like that. That’s part of the reason that they've stuck around is because outside of them just being crunchy and salty and fairly inert and also corn, which is a big thing in the whiskey industry, they also bring out this memory for most guests. Some guests have never had a Corn Nut in their life, don't get me wrong. But most of our guests are travelers from all over the US, and they have at some point in their life had a Corn Nut and then forgotten about it, and then they have that thing for the first time.”
Dallas White, bartender at Michter’s The Bar at Fort Nelson
White explains that the Quicos have been a staple at Michter’s The Bar at Fort Nelson since 2019, although what has been served with them has rotated. Banana chips have rotated on and off service and are sometimes replaced with other dried fruits like pineapple, papaya, or even mango, but the dried banana chips just seem to pair best with Bourbon. Marcona almonds have had a rotation, but because of concerns about food allergens plus the fact they tend to be oily and messy, things like pretzels or bagel chips have taken their place as a baseline palate cleanser.
“It's been very successful, the three items that suit people's needs the best, which is basically just having something to put on their stomach, having something kind of sweet, something a little bit salty, and something a little bit more neutral,” White says.
Chocolate Espresso Beans
Chocolate espresso beans
White says if he could add anything to the lineup, it would be dark chocolate espresso beans, and he’s also been to a few bars that have popcorn machines that serve fresh popcorn to customers, as well. Food pairings to go with whiskey sometimes come from the most unlikely places, too. Back in shutdown times we would often have new product tastings virtually. I remember receiving a package from Maker’s Mark once that came with a bar snack pairing. As then Maker’s Mark Master of Maturation and Head of Innovation Jane Bowie explained on that phone call, when she and then Maker’s Mark Master Distiller Denny Potter were working to finish the blend for the new release we were trying, her husband whipped up a snack for them that ended up pairing perfectly with the blend they’d created.
Candied Walnuts
“I had made a blood orange old fashioned in the weeks leading up and had leftover golden sugar infused with blood orange peels,” recalls Potter Jane founder Jane Bowie. “We infused the sugar with orange peels and caramelized whole walnuts with that sugar and some Himalayan sea salt in a pan over high heat.”
Chocolate & Dried Fruit
Whiskey and chocolate flight
Another great bar experience in Louisville that I often recommend to people is the Baptized in Bourbon Bar at Art Eatables on Main Street. There you can get a flight of whiskeys paired with a flight of chocolates, specially chosen to go together, and the tasting is led by Stave & Thief Certified Bourbon Stewards. And I’m not the only one who likes to have sweet snacks with my whiskey.
Chocolate sea salt caramels, apricots and dates
“Hands down, my favorite sweet-tooth bar snack is dark chocolate sea salt caramels,” says Heather Wibbels, author of Bourbon is my Comfort Food. “The caramel center amplifies bourbon’s vanilla, brown sugar, toffee, and caramel notes. The bitter chocolate works like bitters in an Old Fashioned, balancing sweetness and intensifying the whiskey’s flavor, while the touch of salt is the pièce de résistance. It makes the flavors pop and the structure feel more cohesive and compelling."
Heather Wibbels
She adds, "With assertive bourbons, the cacao butter in the chocolate tempers the heat and adds creaminess to the mouthfeel. I’ve learned the hard way that this combo makes it far too easy to pour another round and empty the caramel container, so pacing is key. I’m also a big fan of pairing dried apricots and dates with both bourbon and rye whiskey. They amplify the whiskey’s stone-fruit aromas and flavors, and their sticky texture softens high-proof spirits while adding a touch of sweetness.”
Olives and Nuts
Olives and nuts
If you prefer something salty with your whiskey, nuts and olives are a classic choice.
“My favorite bar snack that I munch on with Bourbon is usually mixed nuts and olives,” says Bethne Stewart, bartender and Council of Whisky Masters Master of Bourbon. “The nuts complement the whiskey (especially the more peanut-forward ones like Jim Beam and Jack Daniels) and the olive’s acidity cuts through it all to give my palette a bit of variety. I’m also a big fan of popcorn, and you can get really creative with the seasonings to match the intensity of your whiskey or the occasion being celebrated. At my bar we put Everything seasoning on our popcorn and it's divine with a nice, spicy New York rye.”
Whether you are looking for the perfect pairing with a specific Bourbon or something to snack on when trying a flight, there are lots of options for pairing food with Bourbon!