Bacon & Booze: The Ultimate Guide to Pairing Homemade Bacon with Craft Beer, Wine, and Cocktails

Because life’s too short to not enjoy smoky pork with a proper pour.

Here’s a sizzler for you: bacon has been a beloved delicacy for over 3,500 years, first appearing in Chinese kitchens around 1500 BC. Since then, it’s been reinvented, refined, and revered across the globe – but it’s only recently that food lovers have started asking an important question: What do you drink with bacon?

If you’ve ever nibbled a piece of crispy, salty bacon and thought, This needs something to sip on, you’re not alone. Pairing bacon with craft beverages isn’t just for the food snobs: it’s a delicious science with room for creativity, experimentation, and seriously tasty results.

In this guide, we’re diving into how to pair homemade bacon with craft beer, wine, and cocktails for unforgettable flavor combinations. Whether you’re hosting a brunch, planning a dinner party, or just want to elevate your bacon game, you’ll find expert-approved pairings, pro tips, and a few surprises along the way.

What You Need to Know: Bacon Pairing Basics

Bacon is rich, salty, fatty, and umami-packed—all powerful flavor elements. When you match it with the right beverage, you can balance the saltiness, cut the fat, or even enhance that irresistible smokiness. It’s all about contrast and complement.

Here’s the flavor map to keep in mind:

• Salty bacon loves sweetness and acidity.
• Smoky bacon pairs beautifully with malty, oaky, or herbal notes.
• Fatty cuts need carbonation, tannins, or citrus to cleanse the palate.
• Sweet-glazed bacon (think maple or brown sugar) plays well with spice and bitterness.

Let’s break it down by beverage type.

Craft Beer & Bacon Pairings

Beer and bacon are natural buddies—both are artisanal, layered, and delightfully indulgent. The key is matching the intensity of the beer with the flavor profile of the bacon.

🍺 IPA + Spicy Bacon

A bold, hoppy IPA cuts right through spicy bacon (like Sriracha-glazed or jalapeño bacon) with a refreshing bitterness. The resinous hops can handle heat while keeping your palate alert.

Try This: Homemade pepper bacon with a West Coast IPA.

🍺 Porter + Classic Crispy Bacon

Porters bring chocolate and coffee notes that dance with bacon’s smoky richness. This pairing is perfect for bacon in its purest form: oven-roasted, crispy, and unsweetened.

Try This: Classic smoked bacon with a chocolate porter or vanilla stout.

Saison + Maple Bacon

A farmhouse saison has peppery spice, light citrus, and high carbonation—ideal for offsetting sweet glazes like maple or brown sugar. The bubbles also refresh your taste buds between bites.

Try This: Maple-glazed bacon with a Belgian-style saison.

Wine & Bacon Pairings

Wine with bacon? Absolutely. But not all wines can hold their own. You want structure, acidity, and personality. Bacon has a big presence, so the wine needs one too.

🍷 Pinot Noir + Bacon-Wrapped Anything

Pinot Noir is a bacon all-star. Its tart cherry notes and gentle tannins complement the salt and smoke without overpowering. It’s a winner with bacon-wrapped dates, pork tenderloin, or grilled veggies.

Try This: Bacon-wrapped asparagus with Oregon Pinot Noir.

🍷 Zinfandel + BBQ Bacon

Zinfandel’s jammy, spicy profile shines next to smoky-sweet barbecue bacon. Think of it like a boozy BBQ sauce: bold, rich, and balanced.

Try This: Thick-cut BBQ-glazed bacon with a bold California Zin.

🍷 Sparkling Wine + Crispy Bacon

Crisp, dry bubbly cuts through bacon’s fat like a dream. Whether it’s Champagne, Cava, or a nice Prosecco, sparkling wines refresh your palate while highlighting bacon’s savory depth.

Try This: Sunday brunch bacon with Brut sparkling wine.

Cocktails & Bacon Pairings

If you’re feeling a bit fancy—or feisty—cocktails open the door to endless bacon pairings. Balance is everything: bold spirits, fresh ingredients, and smoky swine.

🍸 Old Fashioned + Maple Bacon

This classic bourbon cocktail’s warmth and caramel notes are a natural match for maple-glazed bacon. Add a twist of orange to echo bacon’s sweetness.

Try This: Maple-bourbon bacon with an Old Fashioned and orange peel.

🍹 Bloody Mary + Classic Bacon

You’ve likely seen a strip of bacon garnish in your brunch Bloody—but it’s more than decoration. The salt and umami from bacon elevates the tomato-based drink, while the spice cuts the fat.

Try This: Peppery bacon dipped in a spicy Bloody Mary.

🍸 Smoky Mezcal Margarita + Candied Bacon

Mezcal’s earthy smoke plus citrus and a touch of heat? That’s a showstopper with sweet candied bacon. You get the smoky-sweet-tangy trifecta.

Try This: Brown sugar candied bacon with a mezcal-lime margarita.

Pro Tips and Tricks

Whether you’re serving up a bacon tasting or hosting a pairing night, keep these chef-level tips in mind:

✔️ Balance the Power

Don’t let one element steamroll the other. If the bacon is bold and spiced, the drink should have enough backbone (like high tannins or strong carbonation) to stand up to it.

✔️ Make It Homemade

Store-bought bacon is fine, but homemade bacon? That’s next level. You control the salt, the smoke, the spice – and that customization lets you pair more intentionally.

✔️ Serve Small Portions

When pairing, less is more. Think tapas style—a few bites of bacon with a small pour. It keeps the focus on flavor and avoids palate fatigue.

✔️ Use Bacon as a Garnish

A crispy bacon strip can top a cocktail, be crumbled onto a wine-paired dish, or even rim a beer glass. It’s not just food, it’s a pairing accessory.

❌ Avoid Overly Sweet Pairings

Unless you’re intentionally going for a sweet-savory blend (like bacon with a dessert wine), overly sugary drinks can make the bacon taste cloying or greasy.

Closing Thoughts

Pairing bacon with drinks is one of those culinary joys that reminds us why we cook: to explore, to savor, and to share. Whether you’re sipping a Belgian beer with maple bacon or clinking glasses of Pinot over bacon-wrapped figs, these combinations celebrate the rich complexity of both bacon and beverage.

So fire up the smoker, pop that cork, or shake that cocktail shaker—you’ve got a world of pairings to explore. The next time someone says bacon doesn’t go with fine drinking, invite them over and prove them gloriously wrong.

Got a favorite bacon and drink pairing? Share that along with this post with your bacon buds!

Until next time – stay crispy, friends. 🥓🍷🍻