By Emily Price
I absolutely LOVE hosting Thanksgiving. It’s less about the holiday and more about my enthusiasm over throwing an epic dinner party, and Thanksgiving is the Super Bowl of dinner parties.
If you’re going to throw an epic dinner party, what you serve to drink is just as important as what food you’re making, in my opinion.
Thanksgiving opens you up to a host of really solid cocktail options. I usually try to make a light drink for folks to enjoy when they arrive and I’m still cooking as well as have a cocktail (and wine!) option for dinner, and an after-dinner drink or two ready to go as well.
Since the weather is getting colder, my go-to after-dinner drink is honestly just a glass of hot cider, spiked or not, with some whipped cream and caramel sauce on top making it akin to a Carmel Apple Spice from Starbucks. It’s warm, it’s cozy, and it can be customized for the drinker super easily — you can leave whipped cream off for a family member who’s cutting calories, or skip the booze for kids and drivers. Hot chocolate and even coffee works great for after-dinner as well, and if you’re an espresso martini fan there’s no time better than right after a big meal to whip one up.
In general, I highly recommend serving drinks you can “batch” ahead of time, which essentially means “drinks you can make a pitcher of before people arrive” because the food typically requires a lot of attention beforehand and you don’t want to leave guests waiting for a drink or neglect your green bean casserole to whip one up for them. Once dinner starts you also want to be able to focus on enjoying the meal and your company rather than constantly getting up to make new cocktails. that said, if you’re making drinks for a smaller crowd, whipping them up individually might to be as big of an issue.
As for what you should serve, Thanksgiving is the perfect time of year when you can potentially kick things off with a fruity cocktail you enjoyed all summer, or you can incorporate warm spices and fall flavors. Both work.
Nirvana Super - Melon-Cello Spritz
Ingredients:
- 4 oz Carrot Juice
- 1-inch Piece of Ginger (finely grated or juiced)
- 4 oz Orange Juice
- 12 oz Melon Cello Seltzer
- 2 Tablespoons Agave Syrup
- Melon ball or thin orange slice (optional)
- Sprig of mint or basil (optional)
Instructions:
- Combine carrot juice, orange juice and freshly grated or juiced ginger.
- Add agave syrup and shake mixture well until ingredients are combined.
- Divide mixer between two 12 oz glasses.
- Fill each glass with the melon cello seltzer.
- Place a melon ball or thin slice of orange halved onto the rim of glass.
- Rub a sprig of mint of basil between fingers to release aromatics, place inside the drink.
- Stir gently before sipping.
