Three perfect guests at a summer barbie

The Goodness Brewing Co Sunshine Kölsch Lager (£35, 12 x 330ml, Goodness Brewing Co)

The happy chaos of people, smoke, music and sizzling food that is the barbie at its best just isn’t an ambience that calls out for Michelin restaurant-style fussing over what goes with what, not least because the drinks selection tends to be made up of the random assortment of bottles and cans that the guests have brought with them. Still, some drinks really do work better than others with the parade of loud flavours in whatever protein is on the grill and the sides that go with it. For me, bubbles in some form always seem to work well – and that generally starts with what I think of as the ideal barbecue aperitif, a kölsch. This whistle-clean, crisp style of lager originated in Cologne and is immaculately refined by London’s Goodness Brewing Co.

Equinox Organic Ginger Kombucha (£1.92, Waitrose)

The lighter, gently fruity kölsch-style beer is also pretty good as a partner to barbecued fish and seafood. But a full-on hazy, tropically fruited IPA seems to harmonise best with the more powerful mix of sweetness, spice, char and caramelisation offered by marinated red meat or burgers with relishes and trimmings. This summer I’ve enjoyed the hoppy intensity and bright fruit of the classic Vocation Brewery Life & Death Classic IPA (£30, 12 x 440ml), while the enjoyably Lilt-like tropicalia of Two Tribes Campfire IPA (from £2.20, 330ml, Waitrose) is slightly less intense. Meanwhile the sour tang of kombucha has established itself as my go-to no-alcohol barbecue brew, with the gingery tones in Equinox’s organic offering being particularly good with smoke-grilled foods.

Nivola Lambrusco, Emilia-Romagna, Italy NV (£13, Majestic)

Bubbly wines are also good for a barbecue, although I’d usually steer clear of the more delicate charms of champagne, crémant and prosecco. I find the cloudy funkiness and exuberant fruitiness, and general air of informality, offered by pét-nat (pétillant naturel) fits better in this setting. Château Tour des Gendres 2024 (£19.75, Parched), is a frisky, apple-crispy blend of sauvignon blanc and chenin blanc from Bergerac, and is particularly good with halloumi. For meatier barbie fare though, I’d go for a sparkling red, which marries some of the heft of a normal red with the revivifying bubbles of fizz. Sparkling shiraz is something of a speciality in Australia, but my favourite red bubbles are Italian: the floral, bittersweet, blackberry-and-black-cherry-juicy delights of proper red Lambrusco such as Nivola.