Thanksgiving Delights

Thanksgiving is coming up this week! This is a holiday I can definitely appreciate. I mean hanging with lots of family, eating to excess, watching football, eating dessert, watching more football before passing out on the couch just in time to wake up to say goodbye to whatever family must go home and for whatever movie is being shown after the game. I mean this holiday is just filled with other side shows like the drunk uncle, the nephew who decided to make this his coming out party or cousin who lives alone with her cats and always brings her "friend" every year to dinner. There is the opinionated but deaf Grand Father and someone always shows up with a new haircut that everyone tells that person they love but the minute they leave the room they talk about in quite the opposite manner. All of these components make this holiday about family and that in and of itself makes it great. Embrace these pieces to the puzzle that is Thanksgiving this year and while you do that be sure to have a few great drinks!

Here are a few easy and tasty cocktails you can have prepared while people are walking in the door. Hell if you have to spend the next 8 hours with these people before kissing them off till Christmas you might as well do it with a buzz on!

Bing Cherry & Thyme Champagne Cocktail
First the Cherry juice portion of this cocktail
1 Can of whole cherries in the juice
3 Sprigs of fresh Thyme
Strain the juice out of the cherries into a sauce pan
and add thyme Let this simmer on on low heat for 8 minutes

Now in a Champagne flute
3 Tblspn Cherry juice
1 Cherry
Fill half way with Prosecco of Champagne
Squeeze 1 slice of lemon
Garnish with a small sprig of thyme.

Cranberry Tangerine Sparkler
In a Champagne Flute
3/4 of a glass of Champagne or Prosecco
.5 oz. - Orange Vodka
.5 oz. - Cointreau
1 Sugar Cube
Garnish w/ a sliced cranberry & Tangerine wedge

Apple Cider Sidecar
2 oz. - Brandy
1 oz. - Cointreau
Splash of lemon juice
2 oz. - Apple Cider
Shake over ice and strain
Rim glass with cinnamon sugar
Garnish by floating a thin cross section of apple

Pumpkin Pie Cocktail
(or as my Poppop would say with his thick Philly accent "Punkin Pie")
1 oz. - Coconut Rum
1 oz. - Kahlua
2 oz. - Milk
Splash of cinnamon schnapps
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie filling
Shake over ice to a froth
Rim glass with Graham cracker crumbs
Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon




Cheers!