One of the oldest liquors in America, bourbon was declared “America’s Native Spirit” by the U.S. Congress in 1964, which speaks to its integral part in American culture. Research shows that American whiskey — the family that bourbon forms a part of — accounted for 11.8% of spirits consumed in the U.S. in 2023. That’s a lot of people drinking whiskey and its offspring, bourbon.
This wonderful spirit most often carries an aroma and flavor profile of oak, caramel, and vanilla, making it very versatile. It can be enjoyed neat, with a spritz of water or a few blocks of ice, or mixed into cocktails like the classic old fashioned. It can be a superb partner to many foods, both sweet and savory. If you’re sweet-inclined (like many of us here at Tasting Table), we’ve found the ideal partner for your bourbon — chocolate peanut butter cups.
These cups of joy are the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and savory, bringing the sweetness of chocolate, and the salty savoriness of peanut butter alongside the smooth, and sometimes strong, characteristics of bourbon.
It’s all about balance
Why these two make the perfect pair is all about balance. And this rings true when pairing anything. You want to look at the flavor profile, the texture, and elements that are similar in the food or drink items you are pairing.
Chocolate is quite rich, with its sweetness matching well to the caramel and vanilla notes of bourbon. Meanwhile, the creaminess and smooth texture of the peanut butter will either enhance the smoothness of certain bourbons, or in the case of a more harsh dram of bourbon, ease the spikiness. Peanut butter also carries a hint of sweet saltiness to it, with a slight savory background (depending on which peanut butter you have in your peanut butter cups). With similar notes in the bourbon, this completes the triad of elements you would look for in a good pairing.
In fact, peanut butter and chocolate make such a good pairing for bourbon, that peanut butter whiskies have been developed across various distilleries. It was created in the 1960s/70s inspired by a drink called Peanut Lolita, with the general flavor and aroma characteristics including vanilla, maple syrup, and an earthiness in the background. As expected, it tends to pair well with chocolate (dark is preferable) and caramel candy, and even expands into the savory world of chicken wings, pasta, and chili pairings.
