But what sort of food do you serve at a Scotch and whisky party? What goes well with their complex tastes and doesn’t overwhelm nor embitter them? Perhaps most importantly, what won’t break the bank or be too cumbersome to prepare? After digging around online, here is what I served.

Cheese

Pair smoky or spicy Scotch whiskies, such as Laphroaig, with a stronger cheese like Roquefort. With sweeter Scotches like Glenmorangie, try a softer cheese such as brie. To capture variety, a cheese plate that included sharp cheddar, Swiss, Havarti, and Gouda.

Chocolate

Whisky is a great complement to chocolate, especially dark chocolate. The more cacaos, the better. I went with dark chocolate like Hershey’s Extra Dark squares or even Hershey’s Kisses for an unpretentious dessert.

Fruit

Something tangy or tart, like apples or pears, goes well with whiskey. Try to stay away from fruits that contain too much citrus, like oranges — this will mask too much of the whiskies flavor.

Pub mix

Pub mix which had a combination of Worcestershire rye chips, honey-roasted sesame chips, pretzel sticks, Oriental rice crackers, nacho bagel chips, and mustard-seasoned twisted pretzels. These offered a delightful salty choice for snacking. You can go even more lowbrow and serve Chex Mix or salted peanuts.

Pork ribs

Slow-roasted a rack of pork spareribs in the oven. The guests needed something savory in their stomachs to soak up all the Scotch. When it comes to serving meat, simplicity works best. You don’t want to overwhelm the taste buds with both a smoky whiskey and a heavily spice-rubbed meat drowned in hot barbecue sauce. Season the ribs with curry, onion, and garlic powders and a little bit of brown sugar, wrapped them in foil and let them marinate. Then roast them at 450 degrees for about an hour and let them sit in their juices for ten minutes before serving.

Other options are smoked meat and fish, which go well with smoky Scotch whiskies. Never, ever introduce wine into a whiskey event; made from grapes, wine will clash with the food and spoil the flavor of whisky, and you’ll end up with complaints that everything — including your very expensive single malt Scotch whiskies — tastes terrible.