How to Mix Drinks for Thanksgiving

Toast to the Thanksgiving Day holiday with cocktails that complement turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie and more. Cheers!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Classic barware
• Spirits (vodka, gin, bourbon whiskey, spiced rum, dry and sweet vermouth, bitters, cognac, brandy, dark crème de cacao, amaretto liqueur)
• Cocktail mixers (Bloody Mary mix or tomato juice, lemon/lime juice, Worcestershire and hot sauces, horseradish, sweet and sour mix, cola, ginger ale, coffee or espresso)
• Garnish (lemon and lime wedges, lemon, lime and orange peels, stuffed green olives, peppercinis, celery, deli-style pickles, cocktail onions, maraschino cherries, chocolate shavings, nutmeg)

1. 

   As appetizers are served and dinner finishes cooking, the Bloody Mary serves as a festive, colorful hostess for friends and family. To mix up a classic Bloody, coat the rim of a cocktail glass with course sea salt and pepper. Combine 1-2 ounces of vodka with Bloody Mary mix or make it from scratch by mixing 1 jigger (1 1/2 ounces) vodka, 1/2 cup tomato juice, 2 teaspoons fresh lemon or lime juice, and splashes of Worcestershire and hot sauce. For some extra zing, add horseradish, course-grind black pepper, garlic salt and/or steak sauce. Garnish with a stick of celery, green olives, lime or lemon wedges, peppercinis and/or a deli-style pickle. For fun, set up a Bloody Mary bar so dinner guests can create their own concoctions until the turkey's done.

2. 

   For a lighter drink before dinner, try a martini with gin or vodka, straight up (no ice). Chill martini glasses by running them under water then placing in the freezer before serving. For the classic martini, combine 5 parts gin and 1 part dry vermouth in a drink shaker (replace vermouth with or add olive juice for a dirty martini). Pour in glasses and garnish with garlic- or blue cheese-stuffed green olives, cocktail onions or lemon/lime peel. For a vodka martini, pour chilled vodka in glass and garnish with a lemon twist. Get funky with vodkas in flavors such as citrus, pepper, vanilla, pear, peach, blackcurrant and raspberry. Be creative with garnish.

3. 

   Wine may pair well with Thanksgiving dinner, but cocktails can be as compatible with turkey and trimmings as a bottle of red or white. Try a Manhattan cocktail, made with 2 1/2 ounces bourbon whiskey, 3/4 ounce sweet vermouth and a dash bitters poured over ice. Garnish with a maraschino cherry and orange peel. Or mix up a Cable Car, with 1/2 ounce orange Curacao liqueur, 1 ounce spiced rum, 1/2 ounce fresh limejuice and 1/2 ounce sweet and sour combined in a shaker then strained into a chilled, sugar-rimmed cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist. Holiday highballs such as rum and cola or whiskey and ginger ale garnished with lime wedges are also easy to mix and serve with Thanksgiving dinner.

4. 

   For après dinner spirits, go with sifters of warm cognac or brandy topped with a dash of nutmeg to accompany pumpkin and pecan pie. Or treat drinks as dessert, with a Brandy Alexander – 1 jigger cognac, 1/2 jigger dark crème de cacao and 1 1/2 jigger light cream. Shake in ice and strain into a nutmeg-rimmed glass garnished with chocolate shavings. Perk up the evening with an amaretto coffee, adding 1-2 shots of amaretto (almond) liqueur to espresso or hot coffee in a thick wine or tall coffee glass. Add sugar if needed, and top with light or whipped cream and slivers of almonds.

Tips & Warnings

• Look for funky or vintage barware to add style to a Thanksgiving spread.
• Buy premium spirits for your dinner guests.
• Trim the turkey and the cocktails. Garnish, garnish, garnish.
• Don't drink in excess or drive drunk.

[broandsisinlaw]

on 11/26/2007 Thanks for the cocktail tips! My sister always tries to come up w/ great festive drinks and now I can give her some tips, thanks to your article. Thanks, Again!
Lori