THE JOURNAL

Selection of bar food at Untitled, London. Photograph by Mr Benjamin Swanson, courtesy of Untitled
The food to pair with your pint of beer next time you are in the pub.
Alcohol goes well with salty snacks. This is not new news, nor fake news. In the 19th century, pedlars of pork scratchings would call at London pubs offering to satiate appetites with food that could be eaten without cutlery in an inebriated state as drinkers cultivated excuses to stay for one more round. Fast-forward 100 years and the trend remains the same, though it’s fair to say things have become somewhat more sophisticated. These are three of the best globetrotting snacks from nations who are well versed in pairing bar food with beer.
Wogie’s Bar and Grill, New York

Wings at Wogie’s Bar. Photographs courtesy of Wogie’s Bar and Grill
Buffalo wings
If there’s one thing American grill chefs know how to do and know how to do superbly well, it’s preparing a chicken wing. You can barely move in New York without bars touting theirs as “the best in the city” with variations of spice, size and, indeed, sophistication. Wogie’s may have its roots in Philadelphia, but it’s renowned as serving some of the best wings in West Village since opening its NYC site a decade ago. The wings are named after Krazy Kate (her cooking exceeds her spelling), mother of the bar’s owner, Mr Aaron Hoffman. They come in mild, medium, hot or “Krazy”. Medium are delicious, and best paired with a fine craft IPA from the globetrotting selection. Make ours a Sly Fox IPA, please.
Bar do Luiz Fernandes, São Paulo

Bolinho de carne at Bar do Luiz Fernandes. Photographs by Mr Flavio Santana, courtesy of Bar do Luiz Fernandes
Bolinho de carne (beef croquettes)
Brazil loves beer and beer loves Brazil. The Latin American country gave birth to citrus-noted, highly effervescent lagers that are best served so close to freezing you can almost feel the ice crystals melting in your mouth. At Bar do Luiz Fernandes, do like the locals and order an icy Serramalte with a salty snack to match. Much of Brazil’s food culture harks back to its Portuguese heritage – another nation that knows its bar snacks – so it’s hard to go wrong. Tuck into one of owner Ms Doña Idalina’s speciality “bolinhos” – crispy croquettes packed with slow-cooked beef and doused with vinaigrette and a punchy malagueta pepper sauce – then chase it down with (another) beer.
Untitled, London

Tempura seaweed at Untitled, London. Photographs by Benjamin Swanson, courtesy of Untitled
Seaweed in tempura with mushroom powder
Mr Tony Conigliaro has been at the forefront of the London bar scene for more than a decade. Always the innovator, his latest bar in Dalston pays as much heed to its bar snacks as it does its back bar. In fact, “bar snacks” does them an injustice: these are carefully selected blends of salt, sweetness and umami that pair perfectly with curiously named cocktails that read like haiku. “Violin”, for example, contains dark oak, pine, beeswax, benzoin and black pepper vodka infusion and is designed to be eaten with the seaweed tempura, which is laced with earthy, umami mushroom notes that accentuate the delicate notes in the drink. This is very much a drinking snack for modern times.