The Absolute Best Mocktails To Pair With Your Cheese Plate

Cocktails are great, but sometimes, for whatever reason, you'd prefer to avoid alcohol, and such is the moment for mocktails. There's no end to the variety available here, from refreshing summer mocktails to mocktails for the holiday season. There's even some fascinating science behind store-bought mocktails. But when you've got variety like this, it presents an issue: How do you pair mocktails with food? In particular, how do you pair them with something like a cheese plate?

Luckily, Cody Goldstein, Founder and Chief Creative Officer at Muddling Memories (with an Instagram page showcasing many impressive mocktails) is here to provide some advice on the subject. Goldstein has a few recommendations, but they all come down to the same basic idea that lives at the heart of all food pairings and many recipes: You want drinks and cheese that complement each other's natural qualities. Depending on how funky your cheese is, you might want a different drink than you would for a more mild cheese — but both instances call for light, refreshing drinks that don't overpower the cheese.

Most cheese plates offer a variety of cheese styles. If you're tasting several kinds of mild or medium intensity cheeses like brie, havarti, burrata, or fresh mozzarella, a classic mimosa or peach Bellini with sparkling water instead of wine is a great pairing choice, according to Cody Goldstein. "The bright flavors and high acid work nicely," the mixologist says.

If you're serving a stinkier cheese, though, you're going to want something different to further enhance those flavors. Goldstein has a perfect pick: Watermelon juice, which he says is "a great compliment to any cheese that has some age or funk to it." Watermelon juice is refreshing and light, playing well with the stronger, funky flavors. This is one of the reasons that watermelon and feta salad is such a popular dish. So make sure to have ingredients on hand to whip up a few different mocktails when serving a cheese plate at your next dinner party.