JEFF HARRIS / FOOD AND DRINK STYLING BY DUNCAN FITZPATRICK
“Food is politics” was a view famously espoused by the late and much-loved chef Anthony Bourdain, and there is little doubt he was right. For evidence, one need look no further than Thailand, where cuisine is as politically wrought as it is anywhere on the planet.
If you’ve ever wondered why Thai restaurants are ubiquitous in the U.S., it’s because, in a textbook example of what has become known as gastrodiplomacy, the Thai government made it so. Early this century, Thailand decided to promote its national “brand” by training chefs and sending them out into the world to open restaurants, causing the number of Thai dining establishments in the States to effectively double during the period that followed.
Even Thailand’s signature dish, pad thai, was invented by the government in the 1930s as a means of stretching the country’s rice crop, since rice noodles use only about 50% of the grain by weight. The government then promoted consumption of the dish as an act of patriotism.
Almost a century later, one need not be a patriotic Thai to enjoy the multitude of dishes that populate a typical Thai restaurant’s menu. (Which vary little from one restaurant to another, a result of the centralized chef training.) And there are ways to pair your meal with a variety of surprisingly complementary whiskies.
Although its origins are thought to be Chinese, the spring roll is a Thai menu staple and an inexpensive way to start a meal. With its crunchy texture, oily wrapper, and cabbage and carrot filling, there is a lot going on in a Thai spring roll, which calls for a whisky companion that’s complex without being heavy and refreshing without being pallid, like a lighter Irish or Japanese malt. Add a drop of water if using a sweet dipping sauce.
Iconic in their sweet-and-sour flavor profiles are green mango salad and tom yum soup, the fruitiness of the salad inviting a sherry-influenced single malt like Glenlivet 14 year old, its cognac barrel finish providing extra depth. The nuance of such a spirit is lost amid the heat and spice of the soup though, making it better to reach for something either lighter (for refreshment) or bolder (for balance). I preferred the former, in the guise of the fresh and fruity Arran Barrel Reserve.
Thai curries come in three hues: red, green, and yellow, and sometimes golden, the main difference being the color of the chiles used. Most popular in Thailand is coriander and coconut milk-spiked green curry, which at medium spice partners perfectly with the bright flavors of a lighter-style bourbon, the harmonies maintained by the addition of an ice cube when the spice level rises. Counterintuitively though, a mildly spicy green curry marries better with a richer, fuller bourbon, with 1792 Small Batch filling that role admirably.
And for that government-designed masterpiece, pad thai, exemplary in its mix of sweet (sugar and peanut), sour (vinegar and lime), salty (fish sauce), and spicy (chiles). While the temptation might be to select a whisky with a relatively simple character for balance, I found greater success with a bold American straight rye, which not only complements the flavors of the dish with its spicy grain profile, but also benefits from how the peanut element of the pad thai adds even greater depth to the whiskey.
Spring Roll & Bushmills 10 year old Irish
Light enough to refresh, yet with a complexity that balances the flavors of the roll, this single malt Irish whiskey is the ideal foil.
Green Chicken Curry & Basil Hayden bourbon
While the curry brings out notes of spice in the whiskey, the freshness of the bourbon helps to accent the flavor, rather than the heat of the chiles.
Pad Thai & Sazerac rye
The rye delivers sweet and spice that adds to and accentuates that of the dish, while the intricacies of the dish draw unexpected flavors from the whiskey.
