Miss Manners is completely baffled. Emily Post has no clue whatsoever. In fact, there’s a crisis these days in the world of etiquette because none of the experts can answer the question: what drinks should be served with hot and spicy foods? The turmoil has been caused by the fact that more and more Americans are consuming hot and spicy dishes from a number of world cuisines, yet most cookbook authors and magazine writers on the subject have avoided matching beverages to the sizzling entrees. Should peppery cocktails, such as those made with chile pepper vodkas, be served with spicy foods, or is such a practice culinary overkill? Which wines should be matched with the enormous variety of exotic, incendiary dishes? What role does beer play in this question? And isn’t it only polite to provide cool-down drinks for guests whose palates have not yet adapted to the heat levels of the fiery food being served? Read the entire, thirst-quenching story here.
Firewater: Beverage Etiquette Solved at Last
