Major League Cocktail Hour

There are few pairings as perfect as baseball and peanuts. And we'll be enjoying both on Sunday night, when we watch the Texas Rangers play the Houston Astros in the opening game of this year's season.

But this special occasion warrants something more than just a regular old bag of goobers. So we turned to our resident legume experts, James Beard Award-winning authors Matt and Ted Lee, for a little help.

The brothers naturally shared with us the recipe for their signature dish, boiled peanuts. It's featured in their brand-new book The Lee Bros. Charleston Kitchen. (We're already big fans of their Hot-Spiced Bourbon Balls.) For more than a century, people across the South have been boiling raw peanuts in a salty brine, transforming the humble snack into a delicious savory treat and arguably the ideal bar food.

And what should you drink with your boiled peanuts? While beer works, we recommend the Lees' Moonshine Martini, which combines white corn whiskey with madeira, sherry, or dry vermouth. It's finished with a pinch of salt and, of course, three boiled peanuts.

So this week, cook up a pot of boiled peanuts and just before the first pitch, shake up a Moonshine Martini. Then join us in raising a glass to the new season. Now let's play some ball!

Click here for the recipes for boiled peanuts, and the Moonshine Martini.

This story was originally published at Major League Cocktail Hour. For more stories like this join Liquor.com and drink better. Plus, for a limited time get How to Cocktail in 2013, a cocktail recipe book — free! Join now.