There’s a strong argument that New York is the best city for discovery. The streets are filled with different cuisines and cocktails every day, making it the ideal place to find any flavor you’re craving and discover new ways to mix and match to your heart’s content. There’s an art to food and drink pairings, as any NYC foodie will tell you, and to enjoy a meal or a cocktail to its highest potential, it’s important to figure out what works together. Do opposites really attract? How do you discover tasting notes if you don’t even know where to start?

On a mission to find the best food pairings to go with The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whisky, we sat down with buzzy chef Greg Baxtrom and his business partner Max Katzenberg. The task was simple: Greg made the food, while Max mixed the drinks. The result? Delicious — and expert-approved — ways to pair The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old and The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 Year Old with notes and flavors that bring out the best of the tasting experience. (Bonus: you don’t have to be a tasting snob to appreciate these.) Watch Greg and Max mix up each of their perfect pairings, below.

 The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 Year Old: Neat

Greg and Max enjoyed The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 Year Old straight-up with a variety of rich, flavorful skewers: duck, scallop, and pumpkin.

The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old: Boulevardier

Playing off of Greg’s love for Negronis, Max created a Boulevardier out of The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old. Greg paired that with a nutty, saucy cauliflower “pancake.”

The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 Year Old: Manhattan

Greg cooked up crunchy delicata squash rings (a play off onion rings) to pair with Max’s classic Manhattan, made with The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 Year Old.