Whether they’re fresh or grilled, a sandwich always slaps – just add these drinks for a perfect match.

Once upon a time, the biggest question was triangle or square (triangle). Then Vegemite or Nutella (one of each). At high school, you wouldn’t catch me dead with a sandwich – unless it was a Vietnamese roll, lathered in butter and stuffed with salt and vinegar chips (crinkle cut). Fast forward a few years and sandwiches have come back into our lives and stuck around way longer than the skinny-jean revival. And what was once just a triangle or square conundrum is now all about potato bun vs Shokupan, fresh vs fried, Reuban vs chicken, and do you want Hectic sauce with that? IYKYK.

All this is to say long live the sandwich, so we feel it’s only right to find the perfect drink pairings for the perfect sammich, sando, sub, butty, toastie, hoagie – whatever your preference. Here are our favourite sandwiches and the drinks to pair with them.

1. Fried chicken + gin

If you’re Melbourne-based (or have visited), you’ve likely been to Hector’s Deli. The cult-level sandwich shop (it’s even Dua Lipa-approved) is home to perhaps one of the most famous fried-chicken sangas – crumbed schnitty, tarragon butter, iceberg lettuce, house-made pickle mayo on a steamed milk bun. Pick up a takeaway, head to the park and crack open a cold can of Four Pillars Gin Smash. It’s a riff on a Gin Smash cocktail, but way more convenient for park hangs. The brightness from lime and yuzu will slice through the oily goodness that comes from the schnitty, and there’s a lick of sweetness from the pineapple, too. Bliss.

Member Offer

$24 per pack of 4Non-Member: $27.99 pack (4)

2. Tuna melt + riesling

Around here we love a tuna melt as much as we love riesling. This is a tuna mix, American cheese and maybe a few capers stuffed into thick-cut bread. Whether you’re venturing out of DIYing, you can’t go wrong with tuna and riesling. Dopff Au Moulin Riesling from the French region of Alsace is chock-full of green apple, white peach, lime and, of course, that racy acidity, which will cut through the mayo and melted cheese of the melt. As far as rieslings go, this one is slightly fuller-bodied, meaning it can stand up to the dense but delicious tuna melt. Saturday night in? Pull out the sandwich press, rummage around in the cupboard for a few cans of tuna and pick up your riesling from Dan’s.

$21.99 each

3. Mushroom melt + pinot noir

This one’s for our vegetarian mates (or big fans of mushies) – the mushroom melt. Whether your local is finely slicing and roasting or crumbing up the cap, there’s no such thing as a bad mushroom melt. Butter, cheese, maybe a little truffle – you know what that calls for… a bloody good pinot. We can’t go past the always reliable Nanny Goat Pinot Noir from Central Otago in New Zealand. Think juicy red fruits like berries, cherries and plums with herbs and even a little mushroom – talk about perfect. This baby was also a winner in the Dan Murphy’s Best in Glass Awards, so you know it’s giving bang for buck.

4. Reuben + lager

The king of sandwiches – the Reuben – is getting the full Aussie lager treatment. The Reuben is an incredibly rich sanga, usually packed with beef or pastrami, oozing melted cheese, maybe a few pickles and a mountain of sauerkraut. It’s the kind of sandwich that, after devouring, requires a long nap. The meat brings a fattiness, which calls for something cold and crisp. Enter an ice-cold can of Travla Full Strength. It’s low carb and full strength, smooth and light, and honey-coloured in the glass with a little bitterness. The lager basically cleanses your palate before you take the next bite and can go toe to toe with the acidity that comes from the pickles and sauerkraut.

Holding a chicken sandwich and a glass of wine

5. Salad sandwich + Bourbon Peach Tea

The fresh salad sandwich (AKA the rainbow) is generally layered with beetroot, avocado, carrot, tomato, cucumber, maybe some red onion and a little alfalfa. When it comes to cheese, that’s up to you. We’re pairing the salad sando with, and stay with us here, a Bourbon Peach Tea. Our grown-up take on the iced tea has a sweetness from the peach schnapps (it’s Steinbok for us) and warmth from the bourbon – we’re using Angel Envy. The Earl Grey tea brings floral notes, the lemon adds zippiness and the curacao, specifically Baitz Orange Curacao, brings bite. We’re serving this up on a sunny afternoon – al fresco-style.

$31.99 each

6. Chicken salad sandwich + pinot grigio

The chicken salad sandwich (or roll) has never met a time of day it didn’t like. Depending on where you’re picking up your fresh chicken salad (or maybe you’ve grabbed a gentleman’s handbag and are making them at home), the fillings can differ, but generally you’re looking at cucumber, green tomatoes, lettuce and some kind of mayo. Yum. Two words: pinot grigio. We’re grabbing a bottle of the Tar & Roses Pinot Grigio from Central Victoria. It has notes of honeysuckle, apple and citrus, and its bright acidity brings it all together. And please, if you must include celery, cut it up small, we’re begging you.

$22.99 each

7. HCT + a Bloody Mary

Call the girls because we’re making brunch. Ham, cheese and tomato toasties paired with everyone’s favourite brunch cocktail – yep, we’re serving Bloody Marys. There’s a range of pantry staples needed for this classic (dust off that bottle of Worcestershire Sauce), including tomato juice, but from the bar, you’ll need vodka – we love 42 Below in ours. The umami from the Worcestershire and celery salt match the salty ham and that piping-hot cheese. Meanwhile, the acidity from the tomato is matched by the racy acidity from the lemon and tomato juices. Serve your HCT with lots of butter and flakes of sea salt.

$63.99 each

8. Bánh mì + rosé

It’s no secret that the GOAT of bánh mìs is a crispy pork roll with lots of chilli. That crunchy and chewy Vietnamese roll, lathered with pâté and mayo, pickled carrots and daikon, coriander, cucumber and that all-important juicy pork with the crispy belly – is your mouth watering yet? Oh, let’s not forget that secret gravy-like sauce. There’s only one right answer here when it comes to the right drink pairing, and that’s rosé. We know rosé can handle heat, so we’re not going with just any old rosé (although they’re great, too), but today we’re dialling up that heat with Cupio’s Spicy Rosé. Our mates at Cupio have taken their pinot noir rosé and infused it with real chillis for a serious kick. Think juicy strawberries, watermelon and, of course, spice *insert fire emoji*.

Member Offer

$13 per bottle Non-Member: $17.99 each