Hot chiles and hot weather combine to create a potent thirst. What drink goes best with the mouth-searing intensity of the best hot sauces? Beer, especially from countries that admire the Scoville Unit rating of their homegrown peppers. Let’s start with the cultures that worship the habanero (aka the Scotch Bonnet), the hottest pepper around. Most of these peppers are eaten in Southeast Asia, where the men believe that they make them virile. Those who have traveled there will tell you straight out that you haven’t experienced really hot food till you’ve tried the cuisines of Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. What do they drink with their blowtorch hot cuisine? Ice-cold beer and lots of it.
Some of my favorites from the area are Bintan from Malaysia, Tiger Stout from Singapore, San Miguel Dark from the Philippines, “33” from Vietnam, and Singha from Thailand. Unfortunately, none of these beers will be available at your local grocery store, but with a little diligent searching, you can find them around Austin. You might try the Oriental markets in the North Lamar/183 corridor.
Our neighbors in Mexico focus on jalapeño and serrano peppers. Again, ice-cold beer is their remedy of choice. Luckily, we get virtually all of Mexico’s beers here in the U.S. My favorite is Negra Modelo. But when the burn rating of the sauce goes up, I always fall back on a drink recommended to me by a little old man in Patzcuaro, Mexico. We were sitting at a stall at the local market, munching some juicy chicken tacos. The sauce in the tacos was made from serrano peppers, and it was hot. Soon my face was the color of the inside of a ripe watermelon. He told me to get a light-colored beer (not a light beer … there is a huge difference), pour it over a glass of ice, add a shot of tequila, and squeeze a lime in it, stir gently, and drink. Blessed relief followed almost immediately. Be careful, though. This drink packs an atomic-bomb wallop. After trying every Mexican beer, I’ve settled on Sol as the best choice for this cocktail.
Wines are more difficult to pair with chilies, but there are a few inspired options. From Spain, the Albariños and Rosadas are good choices. Two good examples you can find locally are Valminor Albariño ($16), a white wine with a delicious flowery aroma and fruity taste and Faustino Rosado ($12) a rosé made from 100% Tempranillo grapes. From Italy, we get one of the wine world’s great bargains, Cavit Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie ($10 for a big bottle), a bright and acidic wine that is refreshing after a hit of jalapeño. From Chile, Casa La Postelle Sauvignon Blanc ($8) mates up well with spicy foods. Finally, closer to home, Texas Hills Vineyards’ tasty rosé made from Sangiovese ($10) is scrumptious with cherry and strawberry flavors and a brilliantly refreshing finish.
This article appears in August 24 • 2001.
