The holiday season is here, isn’t that exciting? Good food, get-togethers with friends and family, gifts and laughter. It might be the year’s cold season, but it’s the most heartwarming time of the year.
When it comes to dinner parties, food is important, but so are the drinks. Especially boozy drinks — after all, we should all unwind a little. Cocktails are a super fun way of getting everyone to relax, loosen up and get chatty. Is there a better way to break the ice than a pretty cocktail? If there is, we don’t know what that is.
Here’s all you need to know about cocktails for Thanksgiving. A small guide we compiled for you to become a great host. Shall we get started? Let’s do it!
What You’ll Need
Cocktails are tons of fun, but you have to do them right. This means having the right glassware, tools and supplies, starting with a proper home bartending toolset .
A jigger, a mixing glass, a bar spoon and a strainer are all you need to make some of the most famous cocktails, including the Old Fashioned.
You might also want to have a neat muddler to make mash spearmint for mojitos and make muddled berry cocktails.
Finally, have adequate glassware in hand. A few highballs and several short glasses are a must. Stemmed cocktail glasses are gorgeous, too, and will elevate your cocktails to new heights.
Let’s Make Some Cocktails!
Thanksgiving dinner is all about comforting drinks, so let’s leave the tropical drink category for summer. We want to look at brown spirits, like Bourbon, Añejo Tequila and Aged Rum.
Today, we’re making different versions of the Old Fashioned, one of the oldest cocktails in the book, interestingly, also 2020s most popular cocktail.
Original Old Fashioned Recipe
In your mixing glass, place a sugar cube and soak it with a dash of bitters. Add a splash of soda to help the sugar dissolve and throw in a two-ounce pour of Bourbon. Gently stir with your bar spoon and serve in a short glass over ice. Garnish with an orange peel.
Southern Toast Recipe
Pour half an ounce of Maraschino liqueur into an ice-filled short glass just to infuse the ice. Pour out the excess liqueur. In your mixing glass, add 2 ounces of Aged Rum, just a splash of simple syrup, and a dash of bitters. Stir with ice and strain into your rocks glass. Garnish with a cherry.
Añejo Old Fashioned Recipe
In a short glass filled with ice, pour 2 ounces of Añejo or Extra Añejo Tequila, half an ounce of orange liqueur and two drops of bitters. Stir with your bar spoon and top with a splash of sparkling water. Garnish with a thyme sprig.
Practice Makes Perfect, Final Tips
Make certain you mix a few practice rounds before the big night to make sure you have your cocktails perfected. That’s the homework you want to have often!
Also, remember to have everything ready before your guests arrive. That’s what folks in the restaurant business call mise-en-place: everything prepped up and ready to go.
Finally, make sure you make yourself a few drinks too! You might be the designated bartender, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all the fun!