The Best Drinks To Enjoy With Nachos

6 November marks International Nacho Day, which seems like as good a reason as any to celebrate the splendour of tortilla chips topped with a fair amount of cheese and spicy jalapenos.

The cheesy chips date all the way back to 1943. As the dish’s origin legend goes, nachos were first crafted by Nacho when he was working as the maître d’ of a restaurant in Piedras Negras, Mexico. Right before closing, a party of women came in for a bite to eat. They were the wives of officers stationed at Fort Duncan in Texas, and would cross over the border to shop. The restaurant’s cook was nowhere to be found, but the ladies did not leave disappointed. The maître d’ combined the first three things he found in the kitchen: shredded Wisconsin cheddar, tortilla chips, and sliced jalapeños. When the women asked him what this new improvised creation was called, he told them “Nacho Especiales.”

Since then, nachos have become a Mexican and international staple.

The original nachos recipe is very simple:

Cut a stack of corn tortillas into 4 wedges,
Fry them in about an inch of vegetable oil till crisp.
Place on a baking sheet and top liberally with
longhorn cheddar cheese, and
and jalapeno pepper slices.

Bake at 400 degrees till melted and bubbling.

Serve with salsa and sour cream if desired.

Why not add some Nacho style feast seasoning for extra flavour?

So, while we’re getting ambitious with our chips and cheese on International Nacho Day, we figured why not elevate the drinks pairings as well? Here are a couple of suggestions.

IPA

Hoppy beer works well with spicy food—as long as you like it spicy. The beer’s bitterness doesn’t temper the heat, and in fact, it can make the food taste even hotter. If you can’t handle the greatness of this combination, have your hot-sauce-enhanced nachos with a wheat beer.

Mojito

While we love an ice-cold beer with our carnitas, nothing goes quite as well with Nachos like a well-balanced cocktail. A Mojito is balanced enough to stand up to an amalgam of flavours and its cooling mint will tame the heat if you don’t like things extra spicy.

Wine

Nachos made with corn-based chips need a gutsy, grassy white wine like Sauvignon Blanc. Adding melted Cheddar or Jack cheeses lets them harmonize with easy-going reds, and sparkling wines are terrific with crispy fried foods.

Tequila

Since tequila comes from Mexico, it is only right to pair tequila with authentic Mexican food. Gold tequila works especially well with nachos that utilize hot spices as well as sweetness.