Thanksgiving is all about overindulging. And while you’ve got dinner pairings planned, you may not have thought about having a couple of casual cocktails on hand for before, after, or even during the meal. Not everyone wants to drink wine or beer all day, so having some refreshing seasonal cocktails to offer will definitely make you the host with the most…or if you’re looking to be the guest with the best, consider rolling up with the fixings needed for one of these delicious drinks.
Cherry Sage Smash
Ingredients
2 oz. Woodford Reserve Bourbon
4 brandied cherries
½ oz. of cherry syrup
3 sage leaves
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
Directions
Muddle the sage and brandied cherries in a cocktail shaker and then add the remaining ingredients and shake well.
Strain into a rocks glass.
Garnish with cherries and sage.
Last-Minute Mulled Wine
Ingredients
1 bottle beaujolais or syrah
4 oz. brandy
4 star anise pods
2 long strips of lemon or orange peel
2 tsp. sugar
Garnish: 6 cinnamon sticks
Directions
Add all ingredients into a small saucepan and cook over low heat until warm, but do not allow to boil.
Remove from heat and let stand for 5-10 minutes.
Divide between six mugs or punch cups.
Garnish each with a cinnamon stick.
Ginger Smash
Ingredients
2 chunks fresh pineapple
2 slices fresh ginger
1 tsp. sugar
1 ½ light rum
¾ Luxardo maraschino liqueur
¾ oz. Berentzen apple liqueur
½ oz. lime juice, freshly squeezed
Garnish: pineapple leaf
Directions
Muddle the pineapple, ginger and sugar in a shaker until they form a paste.
Add the rum, maraschino liqueur, apple liqueur and lime juice, then fill the shaker halfway with ice.
Shake briefly and pour unstrained into a rocks glass.
Garnish with a pineapple leaf.
Apple Cider Moscow Mule
Ingredients
4 oz. hard apple cider
4 oz. ginger beer
5 oz. citron vodka
juice of half a lime
dash of ground cinnamon
Directions
In a cocktail shaker, add ice cubes, hard apple cider, ginger beer, citron vodka, lime juice, and cinnamon. Shake.
Pour mixture over a cooper cup filled with crushed ice.
(optional) Garnish with apple slices, lime wedge and cinnamon stick
Cranberry Cinnamon Whiskey Sour
Ingredients
2 cups fresh cranberries
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
¾ cup whiskey
½ cup lemon juice
¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup lime juice
Ice cubes & cocktail shaker for mixing
Directions
In a medium-sized saucepan add cranberries, water, sugar, and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have burst open and can easily be stirred into the syrup, resulting in a smooth consistency. This will take about 10 minutes.
Once done, remove syrup from heat. Fit a large bowl with a fine mesh strainer and strain the simple syrup, leaving all of the large chunks and skin behind. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before using.
When ready to make your cocktails, add ¾ cups simple syrup, whiskey, lemon juice, orange juice, lime juice, and a large handful of ice to a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Divide into 4 glasses and serve at once.
