What to Drink with Indian Food: Beer, Wine, and Cocktail Pairings

Indian food has a lot going on: warm spices, rich sauces, and sometimes real chili heat. The wrong drink clashes with all of it. The right one makes the whole meal better. You don't need to be a sommelier, you just need a few rules.

Three rules that cover most situations

• Heat likes cold, crisp, and a little sweet. High alcohol and heavy tannins make chili taste hotter.
• Cream likes acid. With butter chicken or korma, pick something that cuts through.
• Smoke likes fruit. Tandoori dishes go well with fruity reds and fruit-forward cocktails.

Beer

A cold lager is the classic partner for Indian food, and it's hard to go wrong. We pour Kingfisher and Taj Mahal from India, Barahsinghe from Nepal, and Singha and Kirin Ichiban. Any of them works with vindaloo, wings, or momo.

Wine

• Off-dry Riesling is the safest bet with spicy food. The touch of sweetness takes the edge off the heat.
• Sauvignon Blanc is bright and zippy. Good with saag, chana masala, and seafood curries.
• Rosé and prosecco are easy with starters, or when you're celebrating.
• Pinot Noir is the red that works with curry: light, fruity, low in tannin. Try it with tikka masala or tandoori chicken.
• Save Malbec and Cabernet for lamb, like the Colorado lamb chops, rogan josh, or lamb biryani.

Cocktails

Our house cocktails are built around South Asian flavors, so they fit the food naturally. With spicy dishes, go bright: a mango margarita or the jal jeera mojito. With rich curries, the Tama Tama or Saffron Palace. After dinner, the Kathmandu Cream or Chaiwala's Secret.

No alcohol

• Lassi. The yogurt drink cools chili heat far better than water.
• Masala chai. Spiced tea, and the right way to end the meal.
• House mocktails like the Mango Mantra, spiced pomegranate ginger, or jeera mint masala.

Cheat sheet

• Butter chicken: Riesling, Chardonnay, or a mango lassi.
• Tikka masala: Pinot Noir or a Kingfisher.
• Vindaloo: cold lager or lassi.
• Momo: Barahsinghe.
• Lamb: Malbec or Cabernet.
• Biryani: rosé or Sauvignon Blanc.

Want to test a few of these without committing to full prices? Our happy hour runs every day from 4 to 6pm and again from 8pm to close.