No one likes to partake in stuffing their gut with all the Thanksgiving classics without imbibing as well. This year, switch out your typical wines for something with a little more holiday spirit (get it?)! Pair a cocktail with each of your favorite Thanksgiving foods and you’ll be one happy American.
Brussel sprouts tend to be a Thanksgiving staple, and let’s face it, you need at least one green dish on your table. Pair yours with this Applewood Smoked Bacon Martini, courtesy of Jefferson’s Restaurant and Bar. It will taste great, especially if your brussel sprouts have bacon bits in them!
Applewood Smoked Bacon Martini
1.5 oz. House infused Apple Vodka
1/2 oz. Applejack
1/2 oz. Bacon Simple Syrup
Splash Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz. Sparkling Cider
Rim 1/2 of martini glass with bacon simple syrup and bacon dust. Place cider in glass. Shake remaining ingredients. Pour into Martini Glass. Garnish with apple wedge dipped in simple syrup. Roll one end in bacon dust.
Nobody has Thanksgiving dinner without a little cranberry sauce. The Russian Standard Cranberry Mule will match the taste of the sauce, but will make it less sweet with ginger beer.
Russian Standard Cranberry Mule
2 parts Russian Standard Vodka
3 parts ginger beer
1 part cranberry juice
Pour vodka, ginger beer and cranberry juice over ice into a copper Moscow Mule mug or rocks glass filled with ice. Stir to combine. Garnish with a fresh lime and cranberry.
Whether topped with marshmallows or not, sweet potatoes are the ultimate indulgence during Turkey Day. The Drunken Pumpkin Pie from The Bar at Clement’s is the perfect complement to mashed sweet potatoes.
MARTINI Prosecco Spiced Winter Pear and Lemon Cocktail
(Serves 6)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
5 Tbsp fresh Meyer lemon juice
3 Tbsp pear nectar
1 bottle MARTINI Prosecco
Freshly grated nutmeg
Combine cinnamon syrup, lemon juice and pear nectar in a pitcher. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours. Fill Coupe glasses halfway with chilled cinnamon syrup and top with chilled MARTINI Prosecco. Garnish each with nutmeg.
Ah, turkey. The main course. Whether you slather it in gravy or dip it in your potatoes, turkey never fails on Thanksgiving. Mixologist Cheri Loughlin created the Pilgrim Punch, which will pair wonderfully with your turkey.
Pilgrim Punch
1 ounce Shellback Spiced Rum
1 ounce Irish Whiskey
1/4 ounce Vanilla Liqueur/Schnapps
1/4 ounce Lemon Juice
Bar spoon of Brown Sugar
2 ounces Brut Champagne
Combine brown sugar and liquids except champagne in cocktail shaker, no ice. Stir to dissolve brown sugar. Add ice. Shake to blend. Strain into highball glass over fresh ice. Top with brut champagne.
Last but not least comes dessert and fair chances are you will be having pie. Whether you go for apple, pumpkin or something completely different, we’ve found something that will go with all. Smirnoff Honey Nut Cake will be lovely with pies of all flavors.
Smirnoff Honey Nut Cake
1 oz. Smirnoff Wild Honey Flavored Vodka
0.5 oz. Hazelnut Liqueur
0.5 oz. Creme de cacao
1 oz. Cream
Add ingredients to an ice-filled shaker. Shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with grated nutmeg.
