Ahh, Thanksgiving. Your dad is in the backyard burning the hell out of the turkey with the commercial fryer he doesn’t know how to use, your mom and sister are deep into the “marshmallow/no marshmallow” sweet potato debate, and your uncle is drinking a beer and telling your dad he’s “doing it wrong.” Yep. The holiday is humming along exactly as it should. Your job? To hit the liquor cabinet and whip up a cocktail (or three) that will get you through the next eight hours of “family time.”
Here are five cocktails perfect for Turkey Day.
The Old Thymer
Recipe from Saltbox Dining and Drinking
This is an herbal twist on the classic Old Fashioned that uses a thyme-infused simple syrup. It might sound intimidating, but once you get that simple syrup done, the cocktail is a piece of cake to make.
Ingredients
2 oz. Wild Turkey
3/4 oz. Thyme simple syrup
4 dashes Angostura bitters
Thyme Syrup Directions: Make the thyme syrup in advance. You’ll need a cup of water, a cup of sugar, and a pound of thyme. Bring water to a boil. Remove from heat, add sugar and stir until it dissolves. Add thyme to the mixture. Let cool, fine strain and refrigerate. The syrup will stay fresh for up to two weeks.
Cocktail Directions: Add ingredients to a mixing glass. Stir and strain into an Old Fashioned glass over a large ice cube.
Hot Toddy
This is a holiday classic, and it couldn’t be more simple to make. A Hot Toddy is basically just liquor and hot water. We chose bourbon (because we like bourbon) and spiced it up with some additives.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup hot water
2 ounces of bourbon
Lemon wedge
Cinnamon sticks
