What drinks to real hot food?

[Zaxxon]

Hello fellows,

I am very fond of very hot, yet tasty, food. I wonder what suggestions the experienced fire-eaters of you might have regarding the drinks?

Until now, I serve Chili, hot stews and such with heavy red wine, preferred Spanish ones or Bordeaux.
For more barbeque oriented events with hot sauces, Armadillo Eggs and so on, I tend to beer, mostly dark and strong.

What do you serve in such cases as aperitif, along the meal and as digestif?

Curious about your ideas,
Zaxxon

 

[Johnnysan]

For more barbeque oriented events with hot sauces, Armadillo Eggs and so on, I tend to beer, mostly dark and strong.

 

[Lady Day]

I do so enjoy a nice spicy meal, and like you I tend to like it with a dark stout.
Mmmmm, getting hungry...

LD

 

[Mav]

Negro Modelo or Dos Equis Amber. Mexican beer was made to go with spicy food.

 

[Zaxxon]

I'm afraid Mav, regarding Mexican beer, I do only get Corona here and Desperados, which is actually brewed in France.

I like Köstritzer for example.

but that brings me to an idea for the digestif: Tequila

 

[Mav]

I'm afraid Mav, regarding Mexican beer, I do only get Corona here and Desperados, which is actually brewed in France.

My condolences. Although, Corona is a pretty good beer to accompany gardening and yardwork.

Negro Modelo, which is my favorite to drink w/ chili and Mexican food, is actually a Vienna Lager, which is something like a less malty Oktoberfest.

but that brings me to an idea for the digestif: Tequila

That'd work pretty well, I think.

 

[rumblefish]

Margaritas and caipirinhas for Mexican and South American. Beer for Thai, Indian curry and barbecue. Wine for Italian. And martinis for spicy cocktail food.
It all makes so much sense.
What puts out the fire of a spicy chipotle sauce or a piquant ceviche better than a lime drink?
Can anything go better than beer with a hot spicy rub on ribs, or the nuclear Thai dishes, or the my-whole-head-is-on-fire Tikka Masala?
What would go better with a seafood Fra Diavolo than a light fruity red wine?
Then, top oysters with nice dose of Tabasco or give me a cracker with a pickled jalapeno, how could I not ask for a martini?

 

[Puzzicato]

The best thing I have found for really spicy Asian food is kalamansi juice. With Mexican I like fresh limeade. With Indian-style curries I like dry cider. Somehow the sweet/tart flavour of all of those drinks really brings out the spice.

But I am not going to say no to a nice chilled white wine or a beer!

 

[Chasseur]

While I am not a big fan of light fizzy lager in general, I find it goes well with spicy food. Indian beer with Indian curries, etc.

 

[dnjan]

What puts out the fire of a spicy chipotle sauce or a piquant ceviche better than a lime drink?

If all you want to do is put out the fire, nothing beats milk.
However, if you want something that tastes good with the food, the above suggestions are excellent!

 

[Smithy]

I eat curry about twice a week, and have to say lagers and very pale ales go the best with them. A good bitter lager will cut through the coconut cream based curries, big flavoured pils and the like go well with a vinegar based curry like a vindaloo.

With Thai/Malaysian/Indonesian I usually go for lager again (especially if the weather is hot) but a spicy gewurtztraminer goes very well with these cuisines. A big Kiwi Marlborough sauv blanc is also a match but make sure you get one of the "big" punchy ones with plenty of dryness.

Just my 2c worth!

 

[Shangas]

Coming from a Chinese family, my digestive tract has been thoroughly fireproofed thanks to years of consuming dishes of varying levels of spicyiness, flammability and lethality...


...To my mind, nothing beats a drink with spicy food than either...

- Lemonade.
- Sparkling mineral water.
- Milk.

To put out the flames, that is. On a taste level, I really can't comment.

 

[Nathan Flowers]

For Thai food, I usually go with a Belgian farmhouse ale like Saison Dupont. Mexican, usually an IPA or a real American Lager like Brooklyn Lager. Depends on the dish, honestly.