6 Organic Snacks To Serve With Drinks During This Festive Season
With the festive season fast approaching, there will also be a scramble to put together parties and gatherings for your close ones. And with party planning comes the task of organising food and drink menus that guests will find enjoyable. One of the main attractions at any good party is of course tasty food and when it is paired with the appropriate drinks, the party is complete.
When you are planning a snacks and drinks menu, you can choose the organic route and opt for those dishes made using ingredients grown without the use of harmful chemicals or fertilisers. This is a way to be more environmentally conscious while simultaneously eliminating food waste as you would utilise every element of the fruits and vegetables you grow at home or buy to prepare snacks for your festive evening.
Read on below to know more about some of the organic snacks you can serve with cocktails and mocktails during this festive season:
Organic Vegetables And Dips
One of the easiest small bites to prepare as crispy munching with drinks is cut up organic vegetables served with an assortment of dips. Sliced cucumbers, radishes, carrots, tomatoes, onions, crunched up lettuce and other greens can liven up a salad platter.
When these foods are dipped in yoghurt based sauces, it makes for a fine flavour balance. Carrot sticks or cucumber slices can go with mixes like gin and tonic, classic martini cocktails and margaritas.
Fresh Fruit Skewers
Use organically grown fresh fruits like pineapples, oranges and melons to craft fruit skewers that are a mix of sweet and tangy flavours. If you are hosting a themed gathering like a tiki party or a tropical party, add a sprinkling of mint or basil leaves for their distinct, sharp taste.
Fruit chunks can be inserted onto skewers and placed on fruit plates with a garnish of maraschino cherries to enhance their presentation. These skewers can be paired with fruit-forward drinks like the mai tai or the strawberry daiquiri.
Homemade Pickles
Another tangy and sour snack that can be a crowd favourite at a party is homemade pickles. You can pickle organic cucumbers, onions and olives at home and serve them in small bowls as a sour flavour break for your taste buds.
Pickles can be paired with martini cocktails, negronis and other aperitifs because they are designed to stimulate appetite before dinner. It is easy to make pickles at home and they can be prepared ahead of a party to be laid out as quick snacks that require minimum prep time.
Sweet Potato Fries And Dip
Another organic vegetable that is quite good to taste is the sweet potato. Many local, small scale farmers produce this root vegetable in small quantities and grow it without the use of any harmful fertilisers or chemicals.
Deep fry sweet potatoes and serve them with a homemade yoghurt based dip to enhance the organic feel of your snacks. Such a starter can go well with beer, bourbon or a classic whisky sour.
Cheeses And Charcuterie
Procure organic cheeses and charcuterie from your local farmer’s market or cheese vendor and prepare a platter complete with different varieties like brie, gouda, cheddar or blue cheese.
There is a lot to choose from within the ambit of charcuterie too, like organically prepared and stored hams and salamis so you can pick cured meats depending on the drinks menu.
Pair cheeses and charcuterie with wines or whisky and gin-based cocktails.
Classic Bruschetta
Go for sourdough or organic multigrain loaves when you are preparing a snack like bruschetta while keeping to the organic brief. Add on top of this bread farm fresh tomatoes, basil you grow in your organic home garden and homemade ricotta.
Pair a bruschetta platter at your next festive gathering with cocktails such as wines or spritzers.
Do remember: like everything, alcohol is best enjoyed in moderation. Drink responsibly!
