The Flavor Notes To Look For When Pairing Whiskey And Steak

It's easy to see why a steak dinner and glass of whiskey is appealing: It's classy and straightforward. It can seem deceptively simple, but there are complicated flavors at work here. In the same way expert-approved wines to serve with steak have been extensively analyzed, it pays to research what whiskey pairs well with a good steak. After all, there are notable flavor differences between bourbon and rye whiskey, and the variety you select matters. Bourbon is sweeter, while rye whiskey is spicy and intensely peppery, which can lead to different notes to watch out for in a steak.

For help, Chowhound spoke exclusively with Cody Goldstein, a practiced mixologist and the founder and chief creative officer of Muddling Memories (@muddlingmemories on Instagram). According to Goldstein, a good bourbon deserves a fatty steak: "Bourbon has notes of caramel, vanilla, and woody oak, which pairs nicely with rich, fatty steaks due to its full-bodied taste. The cuts I would recommend would be a ribeye, New York strip, or a tomahawk [or] porterhouse." If you're less of a bourbon fan and more of a rye drinker, then Goldstein recommends the opposite — a more lean steak: "Rye whiskey has a wonderful spiciness and drier, herbal notes that pairs with leaner, more intensely flavored cuts. The steaks I would recommend would be sirloin, filet mignon, or flank steak."

Pairing sweeter whiskies with fattier steaks makes a lot of sense: Marbled steaks with more fat are often more flavorful and frequently described as tasting buttery alongside a steak's savory taste. A sweeter bourbon should have no trouble pairing with creamy, bold flavors by adding extra richness to the overall flavor profile. How you cook the steak can make a difference as well, according to Cody Goldstein. "These types of steaks work best when grilled or pan-seared to develop a nice crust that complements bourbon's sweetness," he says. For the best steak crust, brown sugar is a must because it plays with that sweet and savory combination in a very similar way.

Meanwhile, spicier whiskies go with leaner steaks because lean steaks are more complex in flavor, and the intensity of a rye whiskey can match it fairly easily. More dry, heavily seasoned meats (and even beef jerky) are often considered great pairings for rye whiskey for similar reasons. However, if you still want a bit of juice for a lean steak, mind your cooking method. "Cooking these steaks on a cast-iron will achieve a great crust and keep the lean meat juicy. Adding a healthy amount of pepper to the steak will enhance the spiciness of the rye," Goldstein says.

It's also worth moving away from American whiskies for a moment. What about scotch, the famous Scottish style of whisky? Scotch is actually made from the usual grains you see in whiskey, but often with the addition of peat, which gives it a smokier flavor. Cody Goldstein can get quite specific with his scotch pairings. For those fatty steaks like ribeye or Tomahawk steaks, he recommends a peated scotch from the Scottish island of Islay: "The first to come to mind is a Laphroaig or Lagavulin which will compliment the umami of the steak and not overpower the smokiness of the scotch." Different regions in Scotland are sometimes known for different scotch styles, and Islay is somewhat consistent for smoky, peated scotches.

Meanwhile, with those leaner steaks, Goldstein recommends similarly spicy scotches that mirror the rye whiskey: "When basting and cooking a New York strip and filet mignon, I see scotches from Speyside being best to pair with ... The deep nut and spice notes of the scotch would enhance the juicy meat."

Keep in mind that some chefs pair whiskey and steaks differently, and there's certainly subjectivity to this, so think of these more as options or starting points instead of rules. Your palate will develop as you experiment, and you'll drink a lot of good whiskey along the way.