Finding the perfect drinking companion for your Thanksgiving feast
If your Thanksgiving Day is anything like mine, it starts early and is packed full of gatherings that are filled with all your loveable, and sometimes not-so-loveable family members.
Maybe you wake up early to watch the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade held in New York City, or maybe you must hit the ground running, as you begin cooking the traditional Thanksgiving meal for your entire extended family.
Maybe you are lucky enough to stay camped out in front of the television watching some of the most crucial football games of the season.
Or maybe your filled with thrill, as you collect the Black Friday sales ads, so you can start mapping out your strategic shopping game plan for the following morning, in attempt to collect 2017’s must-have Christmas gifts.
This delightful holiday offers you countless opportunities to drink with your family or because of your family, as this is one of the few holidays that forces you to spend time with some your usually avoided extended family members.
Either way you’ll most likely need something stronger than coffee to get you through the long day. This year consider spicing up your coffee with some Bailey’s Irish Cream or, before you start slaving over the hot stove, whip yourself up a dependable Bloody Mary.
Thanksgiving is the single most important day for food. Most of the day is focused on preparing and consuming the delicious traditional family meal, including but not limited to: turkey, ham, dressing or stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, casseroles of every kind, rolls, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and an assortment of your other favorite odd dishes.
This wide selection of food makes it difficult to pinpoint the perfect drink to accompany the meal. If you are strictly a beer person you won’t even think twice about your drink selection, but if you want to offer your guest the perfect drink to accompany your feast you might find some difficulties. What drink goes with the variety of tastes, textures, and flavors that present themselves on Thanksgiving Day? Should you choose one drink to carry you from appetizer to dessert? Or should you choose several drinks to accent the different areas of the meal?
The choice is entirely up to you, but I would suggest presenting sparkling wine to your guests.Sparkling wine has become quite popular for all types of holiday meals. These wines typically carry a decent dose of acidity, which increases its pairing potential, while also adding a festive feel to your dinner table.
It is completely capable of handling an assortment of appetizers, and even foods that are fried or salty, making it a great match for turkey and dressing.
Since this is the holiday all about sharing with your family, I suggest going with a punch, which ensures you’ll have enough for the whole crazy gang.
Sparkling Fruits Party Punch
Ingredients
- 1 (12oz) can frozen lemonade
- 1 (12oz) can frozen apple raspberry juice
- 1 (12oz) can frozen apple cherry juice
- 3 (6oz) cans pineapple juice
- 5 cans water
- 2 liters lemon lime soda or ginger ale or 1 bottle sparkling wine or sparkling cider
- Small bag frozen berries
- Slices of lemon
- Ice
Directions
Add all the frozen juice concentrates into a large pitcher.
Using one of the empty frozen juice cans, add 5 cans of water to the pitcher.
Add pineapple juice and mix until everything is combined.
Keep pitcher in the cooler until ready to serve.
To serve, add juice to a punch bowl or drink dispenser with some ice.
Then add your favorite fizzy beverage.
Garnish with frozen fruit and sliced berries.