By DCist contributor Amy Monroe
Obscenely overpriced Halloween candy? Check. Big bowl by the front door? Check. Congratulations, you’re prepared for potential trick-or-treaters. But what do you do if you reside in one of the D.C. area’s many condo/apartment hybrids — which tend to be occupied by career-minded, child-free 20- and 30-somethings?
Without any kids marching from door to door, you’ll be stuck with lots of leftover candy. Indeed, this DCist has called the city home for three years and has yet to drop a single Tootsie Pop into the plastic pumpkin of a 5-year-old pirate. So, this Halloween, we’re likely to be doing the same thing we do every Tuesday night — watching Gilmore Girls. But this Tuesday night, we’ll be watching it in front of a pile of undistributed mini-Twix.
How best to make the most of your impending sugar-coated surplus? Taking a lick of the spoon of New York City’s ChikaLicious and Room 4 Dessert, two full-service restaurants that serve nothing but dessert (even going so far as to offer tasting menus), we’ve created a candy-centric menu with wine pairings in honor of All Hallows Eve.
Halloween Candy Tasting Menu with Wine Pairings
Candy Corn + Elio Perrone Moscato d’Asti ($15)
The sheer, slightly effervescent Moscato is the perfect foil for creamy and addictive candy corn. The wine, which is chock full of peach and apricot notes, is a great match for candy corn’s orange dreamsicle flavors.
Hershey’s Miniatures + La Sera Red Malvasia ($14)
The old standby of Halloween candy, the bag of Hershey’s miniatures, receives a fun new lease on life when it’s paired with this fuschia-colored fizz that tastes like fresh raspberries. Because this wine is red, and thus has a slightly fuller body, it’s not overwhelmed by the chocolate, which can be difficult to pair because of its thick, mouth-coating texture. Best of all, it handles Special Dark and Krackel with equal aplomb.
Snickers + Taylor Fladgate 20-Year-Old Tawny Port ($50)
A 20-year tawny, which oddly is more an indication of style than of age, is going to set you back a few bucks, but we’ll bet you’ve never had a better high-brow/low-brow pairing. Tawnies have a silky, rich texture that stands up to the thick caramel/nougat/chocolate combo of Snickers. Plus, tawny ports — especially those with age indicated on the label — are known for their heady, nutty aromas.
Butterfinger + Chambers Rutherglen Muscat ($17/375 ml)
From Australia comes this liqueur wine that is one of the sweetest in the world. Due to its high sugar content and extremely viscous texture, it is commonly referred to as a “sticky” (spill a drop on the table and you’ll agree). It also smells and tastes just like toffee in alcoholic, liquid form. No better match here than a Butterfinger.
Photo by flickr user Crysti and used under a Creative Commons license.
