Photograph courtesy Skyline Chili
It was Earth-shattering enough when Skyline and Gold Star switched out Pepsi products for Coke in its parlors in 2024. But if that was the end of an era, what’s next may be a portent of End Times: Skyline Chili is now serving booze.
The new Fountain Square location, which opened June 19, finally received a beer and wine license and started selling last night. Beer has made rare appearances at the odd Skyline here and there, but the historical first of wine alongside three-ways and chilitos is worth toasting. But with what exactly?
I’ve been wondering what pairs best with the Cincinnati staple more associated with soaking up booze after a night of revelry instead of being washed down with it. To contemplate the, shall we say, staggering possibilities, we went straight to the source. The Party Source, that is, that bastion of booze in Bellevue.
To quaff with coneys, General Manager Micah Dennison recommends a red wine that’s fruit-forward and not too oaky. (The man knows about discerning drinking; when grabbing Skyline with a buddy in the Pepsi-soaked era before 2024, his friend would drive to a separate restaurant for a carry-out Coke.) “A classic Rhone, Syrah, or heavy varietal would lend itself nicely for the flavor pairing,” he advises.
Across the river in Clifton, Mike Anagnostou, at his Ludlow Wines bar-cum-package shop, considers the original terrior of Skyline. “It was invented by Greek immigrants who based it on a dish I grew up with called kima,” he says. “It’s a meat sauce like a Greek bolognese. My mom served it over elbow macaroni with parmesan cheese on top.”
Anagnostou mulls some Hellenic potables, such as Assyrtiko, a crisp, almost briny, white. Then, like the Greek god Zeus changing his mind about wiping out humanity (because no one would be left to worship him), Anagnostou reconsiders. “No question, the ultimate Cincinnati experience is to have Skyline with a Cincinnati beer,” he says. “Nothing too hoppy. You want something that complements, not clashes. Rhinegeist Cincy Light is excellent.”
He then waxes nostalgic about Little Kings Cream Ale, adding that its bottles—at 7 ounces—were easy to sneak into places like, say, chili parlors. That opinion should not be construed as a confession, he says. “The size was its virtue, not the taste.”
In Kenwood’s upscale restaurant The Park Pour, Chef/GM Arthur Kurtzman casts a second vote for Assyrtiko. He’s not a big Skyline man himself, but he says his young children would eat it “for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day if they could.” His advice is to choose the libation “for the situation more than the dish.”
On a hot summer day, Kurtzman envisions an al fresco lunch enhanced by a rose, “Something light and crisp, from California.” A boozy patio brunch at Skyline? And to think, some don’t believe there’s a heaven.
To whet your appetite before a main course, how about Skyline dip matched with a scintillating cava from Spain? A Coke, in comparison, sounds downright boorish.
Of course, when the sousing sauce partners so amiably with the city’s favorite meat sauce, it’s not hard to imagine one getting carried away. Should that happen, we suggest stopping by the nearest White Castle for a sack of sobering sliders.
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