Of course, I had to try it for myself. But I didn’t stop at the classic cheddar version; I set out to determine which flavors out of the seven in the variety pack paired best with the upside-down martini Julia loved. There was a clear top three — and a surprising winner.
Goldfish Crackers Are a Surprisingly Good Cocktail Pairing (Thanks, Julia Child!)
While Julia Child loved Goldfish crackers, it turns out she really enjoyed them paired with her beloved upside-down martini, which highlights the vermouth instead of gin or vodka like in a classic martini (it’s one part gin or vodka and a whopping five parts dry vermouth).
It makes sense: The crunchy, savory cracker gives major bar-snack vibes. As I mentioned, Julia opted for the classic cheddar cracker. But there are so many Goldfish flavors out there — I just had to know if any others could also be paired with the cocktail.
Why You Should Trust Me
I’ve been writing about all the best products for your home, kitchen, and beyond for the last four years. In that time, I’ve tested literally hundreds of kitchen products, ranging from cookware and small appliances, to meal delivery services and brand-new condiments. Prior to being a shopping writer, I was a wine and spirits columnist. So not only have I tasted plenty of great wines and spirits, but I’ve also learned about flavor notes and pairings from some of the best in the business.
My Honest Review of the Goldfish Variety Pack
The Goldfish variety pack I bought comes with 35 pouches in total (five bags of each flavor). It features seven different flavors, including both sweet and savory options: Cheddar, Flavor-Blasted Xtra Cheddar, Pretzel, Cheddar Colors, French Toast, Honey Bun, and Cinnamon Giant Grahams.
I hadn’t tried many of the other flavors outside of cheddar before, so it was really fun to get to sample a bunch. I’m partial to the sweet flavors (I love a snacky graham cracker situation), but the savory choices were totally delicious and nostalgic, too. That variety pack won’t last long in my home.
But which flavors paired best with an upside-down martini? While there were one or two that definitely didn’t work, in my opinion, three emerged as strong pairings for the Julia Child-loved cocktail.
The 3 Best Goldfish Crackers to Pair with an Upside-Down Martini
I can totally see why Julia liked these with an upside-down martini. The classic crackers are salty and cheesy, and pair very nicely with the dry vermouth. This made me feel like I was sitting at a bar, munching on bar snacks. I gave it a 7 out of 10 rating.
2. Goldfish Flavor-Blasted Xtra Cheddar
These crackers have a bolder cheddar flavor than the classic ones. To me, this strong cheese flavor gives a charcuterie-board vibe that I felt paired nicely with the martini. It helped bring out the almost savory quality of the vermouth while complementing the juniper notes in the gin. I gave this one a solid 8.5 out of 10.
1. Goldfish Grahams French Toast
The big surprise of this taste test was the French toast flavor. On the whole, the sweet flavors in the variety pack didn’t go super well with the martini, so I was shocked to find that this was the winner. It’s really because of the graham crackers’ strong maple flavor: It complemented both the vermouth and the gin, and mellowed out the sharpness of the cocktail altogether. These were easily a 9 out of 10 for me.
Buy: Goldfish Variety Pack, $37.99 for 35 pouches at Amazon
Which one is your favorite? Tell us about it in the comments below.
