The UAE Summer Table: Easy Food Ideas and 0.0% Drinks to Match
There comes a point in a UAE summer when the idea of spending an hour over a hot stove loses its appeal.
Dinner gets simpler. Cold salads come into their own. Seafood cooks quickly. Fruit goes straight from the fridge to the table. And if the grill is on, you probably want something that takes minutes rather than an afternoon.
The drinks can follow the same logic.
Instead of choosing a “summer drink” on its own, think about what you're eating. A crisp sparkling wine, cold 0.0% beer, chilled white wine or ready-to-drink alcohol-free cocktail can all work beautifully with lighter summer food.
Here are five easy combinations worth trying.
1. Watermelon, feta and mint with Natureo Sparkling Muscat
Watermelon and feta don't need much help. Cold melon, salty cheese, fresh mint and perhaps a squeeze of lime or some cucumber make an easy lunch on their own, or a great side dish when friends are over.
With something this fresh, we'd keep the drink bright too.
Natureo Sparkling Muscat 0.0% is made from Muscat grapes, giving you an aromatic sparkling option that suits a light summer table.
Try serving it well chilled alongside the salad. It's an easy combination for a long lunch, an afternoon gathering or one of those days when nobody wants a complicated menu.
2. Grilled prawns, lemon and herbs with Vintense Cuvée Prestige
Prawns are ideal summer food because they cook quickly and don't need much doing to them.
A little olive oil, lemon, garlic and parsley is enough. Add a green salad, couscous or some crusty bread and dinner is pretty much sorted.
Vintense Cuvée Prestige Blanc de Blancs is a non-alcoholic sparkling wine made from Chardonnay grapes. Drink Dry recommends serving it chilled, with suggested pairings including scallops, fish and chicken.
If you're making grilled prawns or light seafood, this is definitely one to try.
You don't need to follow pairing rules too closely. The main idea is simply to avoid overpowering delicate food. Something chilled and sparkling can sit beautifully alongside lemony prawns and fresh herbs.
3. Grilled chicken, tacos or corn with Corona Cero
Think chicken skewers straight from the grill, fish tacos, charred corn, loaded nachos or a burger enjoyed outside once the worst of the day's heat has passed.
That's where a cold Corona Cero fits in naturally.
Corona Cero is a 0.0% pale lager and is best enjoyed well chilled. Add a wedge of lime if you like, especially with tacos, grilled food or anything carrying a little chilli.
If you're looking for an easy 0.0% option for a casual summer meal, this is a great one to keep cold in the fridge.
4. Tomatoes, burrata and crusty bread with Sangre de Toro White 0.0%
A tomato salad can easily become dinner in summer.
Add burrata or mozzarella, basil, olive oil, black pepper and some crusty bread for the juices. If you want to make the table a little bigger, add olives, grilled vegetables or a plate of sliced fruit.
Pour Sangre de Toro White 0.0% chilled alongside it.
The wine is made from Muscat grapes, and Drink Dry recommends serving it cold. Suggested pairings include fish, seafood, rice and salads, so it works particularly well with lighter summer dishes.
It's also a lovely option for relaxed, sharing-style dinners where everything goes into the middle of the table and everyone helps themselves.
5. Mezze and small plates with Vintense Non-Alcoholic Cocktails
A mezze table doesn't always have one obvious drink pairing.
There might be hummus next to olives, moutabal alongside something spicy, plenty of flatbread and several small plates being passed around.
Rather than trying to find one drink that matches every dish, choose something that suits the relaxed feel of the meal.
The Vintense non-alcoholic cocktail range includes 0.0% versions of familiar favourites such as the Bellini, Hugo and Spritz. They're ready to serve cold, making them especially handy when you're entertaining and want something easy but still a little special.
If you enjoy the bittersweet citrus style of an Aperol Spritz, you should try the Vintense Spritz. The Bellini brings a softer peach flavour, while the Hugo combines elderflower, mint and lemon.
They're a fun option if you want something more colourful and cocktail-like on the table without having to mix drinks yourself.
A simple way to pair food and 0.0% drinks
You don't need a complicated set of rules to pair food with non-alcoholic drinks.
If the food is light and delicate, try a lighter drink. Seafood, salads and fresh cheeses can work particularly well with sparkling or white wine styles.
If the food is smoky, salty or spicy, a crisp 0.0% beer is worth trying.
And if you've got a table full of different flavours, cocktails or aperitif-style drinks can be a great way to keep things relaxed.
Sweetness is worth thinking about too. If the food is already quite sweet, you may prefer a fresher or more bitter drink rather than adding even more sweetness.
Most importantly, drink what you enjoy. Pairing ideas are there to give you inspiration, not rules you have to follow.
Keep the water on the table
One useful distinction during a UAE summer is that the drink you're enjoying with lunch or dinner isn't necessarily the drink you're relying on for hydration. Water should remain the main choice for staying hydrated in hot weather.
Current CDC guidance recommends drinking plenty of fluids during hot weather, while the World Health Organization also advises drinking enough water during periods of extreme heat.
So if you're opening a bottle of 0.0% sparkling wine, beer or a cocktail with dinner, keep plenty of cold water on the table as well.
It's a simple habit, and an important one when temperatures rise.
Serve it cold, but don't forget the food
A bottle that has been sitting on the kitchen counter for half an hour in August isn't going to taste its best.
Vintense Cuvée Prestige, Sangre de Toro White 0.0% and Vintense's ready-to-drink cocktails are all best served chilled. Corona Cero is also made for drinking cold, with a wedge of lime if that's how you like it.
So get the bottles into the fridge early. If you're eating outside, an ice bucket is useful for keeping everything cool throughout the meal.
And don't forget the glassware. A proper wine glass, beer glass or cocktail glass can make a 0.0% drink feel much more like part of the occasion.
Try something different this summer
Summer food doesn't have to be complicated.
A cold watermelon salad, a plate of grilled prawns, tomatoes and burrata, chicken from the grill or a table full of mezze can be more than enough.
The same goes for the drinks.
If you usually reach for the same thing, this summer could be a good time to try something different. Pair a sparkling Muscat with lunch, open a cold Corona Cero with tacos, or serve a Vintense cocktail when friends come over.
Explore Drink Dry's 0.0% sparkling wines, alcohol-free white wines, beers and non-alcoholic cocktails and find a new favourite for your next summer meal.
