It’s Burger Week in Boston, so let’s talk about what we love to drink with burgers. (And don’t worry, Yankee fans and others who don’t love Boston sports teams – or the Baah-ston accent. There’s a Burger Week coming up in New York soon, too.) [level-members]
We found out about Boston’s Burger Week here on the Boston Eater website. Their recommendations range from the questionable – bourbon (though that is offered with a bit of an asterisk – to twists on the tried and true: beer. (Belgian-style beers seem a great idea on a hot afternoon, but brown ales and other heavier styles like stouts and porters might work better at this time of year with cooler evenings.
One pro on the site has the good sense to point out that this is a trickier question than it might first appear. Does your burger get topped with mustard rather than ketchup? Pickles? Cheese? What you add or don’t add will definitely affect what works as your liquid refreshment.
On the wine side, it might sound sacriligous, but we’d be willing to try a really good Burgundy with a well-grilled burger. (Not well done; well grilled …) Then again, we’d be willing to try a really good Burgundy with just about anything.
Moving back to booze, as questionable a call as bourbon might be, a cocktail that includes brown goods could work if it’s lightly carbonated. Perhaps some club soda to top off a variation on an Old Fashioned or Manhattan.
We can also see Mourvèdre and reds from the Loire working well, depending on how you build your burger.
Whatever direction you go, it’s tough to beat a burger on a summer night, mosquitoes be damned.
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