Young goat cheese-especially one coated in herbs-can match gin’s herbal qualities, Centamore says. “Consider the intensity of everything think of the characteristics of what you’re putting together as well.” The botanicals in gin whether a London Dry, or modern style, can make the spirit really shine with the right cheese. When pairing cheese and spirits, you can lean on a lot of the same strategies you would for wine or beer, says Adam Centamore, a Boston-based wine and cheese educator and author. Till American Wheat Vodka ($25), a smooth and elegant vodka made with wheat as its base. Suntory Haku Vodka ($28), a Japanese rice-based vodka that’s soft and approachable, and won gold in the 2019 NY International Spirits Competition.
Hangar 1 Buddha’s Hand Citrus Vodka ($29.99), a California vodka infused with the ancient relative of the modern lemon with notes of jasmine, basil and apricot. “It’s a lot of strong flavors competing against each other and ultimately you don’t taste anything very distinctly.” Shoemaker avoids highly-flavored infused cheeses with heavily-flavored spirits to go with vodka, however. “It’s like a palate cleanser that lets you truly enjoy the flavor of each bite.” She recommends straight vodka with heavier cream cheeses like brie, delicately-flavored vodkas (like Hangar 1 Rosé Vodka) with pungent cheeses and a citrus vodka with strong cheeses like gorgonzola. “Vodka pairs really well with cheese, the high alcohol content of the spirit can cut through the fattiness of a cheese and coat your palate,” says head distiller Caley Shoemaker. Hangar 1 Distillery in Alameda, California offers a tasting tour that pairs the craft distillery’s signature, flavored and barrel-aged vodkas as well as their new brandy, Bentwing, with cheeses. But the vino-averse aren’t resigned to nibbling your cheddar or camembert solo-non-grape based spirits such as gin, whisky, rum and even vodka can be a perfect match. Although while most people can rattle off the names of a few of their favorite cheeses, not everyone likes wine, or the other classic fermented grape pairing with cheese, cognac (for some reason). Wine and cheese are one of those culinary duos that seem to be inextricably linked. Experts take cheese pairing to the next level with a variety of spirits