There’s something deeply comforting about a glass of rum paired with delicious Indian street food – an amalgamation of deeply familiar and unexpected flavors. Rum walks into this equation with a quiet, spiced, and mellow attitude, as if it was always meant to be paired with Indian street food. But if you aren’t familiar with the amazing ways rum pairs with some of your favorite street foods, we’re here to help! Here is a rum and Indian food pairing guide, featuring lipsmacking street food!
Old Monk and Vada Pav – two bright icons of Indian drinking culture and street food culture respectively. So have you ever thought of pairing these two legendaries? If not, now is the time!
On one hand you have nostalgia in a bottle and on the other hand, you have a classic comfort street snack. And when the two are paired, we bet you would be pleasantly surprised.
Why They Go Well Together
Old Monk has warmth that pairs beautifully with the spicy-sweet chutneys and the peanut powder/chutney slathered on the vada pav. The deep-fried snack gets a lift from the rum’s warmth and the soft pav helps mellow down the spices without dimming the fire. It’s the kind of pairing that initially seems too good to be true, but it is only after the first few bites that you realize you actually tasted a slice of heaven!
Best Old Monk cocktail for vada pav: Rum Punch, Rum and Coke
Aloo Tikki is the poster child of Indian chaat street food culture – an umbrella term used to describe a number of tangy, savory, and crunchy street food. It’s layered, with crisp potato patties bathing in creamy yogurt, an assortment of sweet and spicy chutneys, chickpeas, pomegranate, and a whole lot of flavors! Pairing one flavorful assortment with another – spiced rum – now that sounds like a flavor explosion and we’re signing up for it!
A spiced rum, with just the right squeeze of lemon and a mint garnish is the perfect companion to pair with aloo tikki chaat.
Why They Go Well Together
The warm spice of the rum gives you the kick while the yogurt balances it with a milder feel. The masala-laden chaat and the dash of lemon in the rum pair effortlessly and are surprisingly refreshing. Consider this your cue to pair aloo tikki chaat with a glass of spiced rum, perfect as an evening snack or a party starter.
Best spiced rums to try: Kraken Spiced Rum
Best spiced rum cocktail for chaat: Dark ‘N’ Stormy, Spiced Rum Chai Latte, Cable Car
Flavored rums might not be every rum lover’s first choice, but they do have a fandom of their own. Think of amazing flavors like pineapple rum, mango rum, berry rum, and so many more! And what better Indian street food to pair these flavored rums with than beloved pakoras? We’re talking about both onion and potato pakoras which can make any hardcore Indian street food lover drool from a distance.
Why They Go Well Together
Since flavored rums often lean fruity, they create a refusing contrast to the deep-fried richness of pakoras. The crisp, savoriness of the pakoras and the accompanying assortment of chutneys goes well with the breezy, fruity notes of flavored rums. If you’re in search of a rum and Indian food pairing guide for house parties, then the flavored rum + pakora pairing deserves to be on your list!
Best flavored rums to try: Bacardi Limon, Bacardi Mango Chilli, Rock Paper Rum Tropical Coconut
Best flavored rum cocktail for pakoras: Lemon Daiquiri, Piña Colada, Coconut Mismo
Also Read: Your Rum Guide: Dark, Gold, or White – One Spirit, Many Shades
White rum is the clean, youthful, and free-spirited cousin of the rum family. It is refreshing, easy-going, and is the perfect choice when you feel like you need a trip to the Caribbean! Which is precisely why we’re pairing it with the most dramatic Indian street food out there: bhel puri!
Why They Go Well Together
A bhel puri is not just any dish, it is a whole package of flavors. It’s sweet, tangy, spicy, savory, both soft and crunchy, and so light on the stomach. The puffed rice, coriander, onions, peanuts, raw mango slices, and so many other ingredients just work in perfect harmony to make a dish that has remained one of the most iconic street food dishes in India. A white rum pairing doesn’t tone down these flavors, it helps them rise and shine. White rum pairing with bhel puri is an underexplored combination, but do try and let us know what you think!
Best white rums to try: Bacardi White, Short Story White Rum, Maka Zai, Cabo
Best white rum cocktail for bhel puri: Rum & Coconut Water, Mojito, Piña Colada, Hemingway Daiquiri
In our list of the ‘best unexpected rum & Indian street food pairings’, we’ve reached the last entry and that is ‘Dark Rum & Seekh Kebabs/Samosas’. Seekh kebabs and samosas are some of the best dark rum pairings with Indian snacks and appetizers as these dishes balance and complement the warmth, spice, and sweetness of dark rum.
Why They Go Well Together
Seekh kebabs and samosas are also incredibly popular street foods. The spice of the kebabs is smoothened by the caramel-forward sweetness while the savory, comparatively mellow samosa creates a sweet-spice harmony with dark rum. Vada pav and dark rum pairing also works fine, but let’s allow vada pav’s cousin to take the spotlight this time! And while you enjoy the dark rum, don’t forget to add a cube of ice to the rum to open it up. The pairing becomes even more layered and enjoyable!
Best dark rums to try: Bacardi White, Short Story White Rum, Maka Zai, Cabo
Best dark rum cocktail for seekh kebabs/samosa: Mai Tai, Hurricane, Dark ‘N’ Stormy
Also Read: Indian Consumers Shift From Hard Spirits To Beer Due To Changes In Liquor Laws Across States
Most rums have three qualities that make them almost perfectly compatible with Indian food: sweetness, spice, and warmth. They carry a natural caramel-sweetness from the molasses that softens the heat and tang commonly found in Indian food, especially street food. The sweetness doesn’t overpower – it simply rounds off sharp edges while letting the spice shine.
Then the warmth and spice of the rum mirrors the warmth of Indian food, in a literal sense, thanks to spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, etc. When rum meets masala, they recognize each other like long-lost cousins at a get-together party.
Rum is quite versatile, and with different kinds of rum like dark, white, flavored, and more, there’s a pairing for every mood and palate out there. Indian street food, too, is quite versatile, diverse, and chaotic in the most delicious ways possible. When these two icons combine, you know you’re about to taste a burst of flavors!
In this article, we dived into the rum and Indian food pairing, understanding some of the most unexpected rum & Indian street food pairings. We also dived into why rum pairs well with Indian spices, understanding why so many Indians take their rum seriously. So the next time you pick a plate of chaat, kebabs, or any other street food, pour yourself a nice, comforting glass of the rum that goes along with it. Cheers!
