Last week, deadhorse hill introduced their new spicy fried Korean chicken wings and pork steamed buns as a “finger food” experiment geared toward after work and after hours customers. I sat down with Wine Director Julia Auger and Manager/Co-owner Sean Woods to talk about what to drink with these new additions.
Auger suggests pairing deadhorse’s Korean wings with a Riesling. “Rieslings offer a balance of ripeness that compliments spicy foods. Their natural high acidity is refreshing on the palate,” she explains. Rieslings originated in Germany, a country noted for easy-drinking, sessionable beers. Riesling is similar in this way, often coming in at right around 10% alcohol by volume. Auger calls it a “responsible late night choice” adding, “Rieslings are great if you’re having a second dinner of the night or you’ve been consuming a lot of things.” She hopes that Worcester will develop a taste for a grape that is often misunderstood. Auger has dedicated an entire section of her bottle list to Rieslings and vows to always offer the varietal by the glass. “We want everyone to drink Riesling all the time,” she says.
Woods explains that any of deadhorse’s Asian inspired dishes pair well with their unique Mai Tai. He suggests the pork steamed buns, though he would like to add, “My first choice would be to pair a Mai Tai with another Mai Tai.” Woods modeled his own recipe after the original Mai Tai, which yields a complex and layered result as opposed to the sickly sweet Mai Tai’s many cocktail drinkers are accustomed to. Woods’ version includes a blend of rhums, lime, almond, and a mint sprig.
Deadhorse’s Late Night and Happy Hour menu is available from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and after 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
