So, for the USians here, what drinks are you serving at Thanksgiving? I always end up with a crowd as we are centrally located and have a big family. I will get a great Cabernet, a sweet white wine for my ex mother out-law who always asks for white wine then says it’s too dry, beer of course, still working on the house cocktail and non alcoholic drinks.
Always start with a spritz of some sort, mimosa or similar.
Tried a really good pineapple drink (it’s in another post) and it’s great but I don’t want to juice pineapple, andthe tepache will be too dry or gone by then.
Still thinking about this. I do have time to make more ginger beer by then. But I’m thinking to make that one of the non-intoxicating drinks.
In previous recent big gatherings I’ve made a pineapple drink, a pear and ginger, a ginger and Chartreuse. I am cooking and not willing to also be a bartender so need a pitcher of something for sure. Not many of my guests like wine, the beer drinkers are all set, they bring more than enough. I can get just about anything in terms of ingredients.
We have vegans so besides turkey the food slants toward mushrooms/potatoes/lentils.
Sorry, this got long, just looking for ideas, will put my trials in this thread and also please ask here if you are also looking for ideas.
I’ve always been a fan of giant pitchers of mojito and sangria. Easy to make simple versions, with plenty of room for creative improvements. I usually made double virgin batches, then split them into singles and added booze to one of them.
For mojito pitchers, I recommend muddling only the lime as your first step. Don’t muddle the mint in a pitcher, you’ll bruise it too much and release too much chlorophyll and make it bitter. Take a bushel of mint, give it a good slap to release the peppermint oil, then toss it in with the ice and sugar, then stir/shake it until the sugar is dissolved. The ice will do the rest of the muddling for you in the pitcher.
For sangria, go fuckin nuts. You can mix all kinds of fruits with all kinds of wine/booze. If I wanted something tart, I’d do dry red wine with a bunch of tart fruit like cranberries and cherries. If I wanted sweeter, I would do berries and stone fruits with a sweeter white. I always add oranges and maybe lemons/limes to ensure there’s a decent acid base to contrast the other flavors. If you want a stronger sangria, you can fortify it with a triple sec, schnapps, or a straight up hard liquor (I toss rum in mine, because fuck y’all it’s a party).
These are just easy, high volume ideas that take little effort. If you want more ideas, let me know what specifics you’re looking for and I’ll give more advice. I’ve managed beverage programs in the hospitality industry for a few decades. I can help you make anything to taste like anything.
Mojito is a good idea, there is mint in the garden.
May do a grapefruit sangria of some sort too, I ended up with an enormous bottle of Deep Eddy Grapefruit vodka so should probably leverage that.
Also, welcome to cocktails on Lemmy!
That deep Eddy will definitely work well in a sangria, good call! It’s already got a strong citric base, so it’ll be easy to get a nice balance on the tartness when adding other ingredients. Thanks for the welcome! If you ever want a hand modding, feel free to message me. I already help out a few other cool communities here.
cough c/Foodporn cough
I will be making a mulled wine for the majority of people. Then it will be dry whites and whiskeys for everyone else. Kids will get milk and water
We usually get Jarritos sodas for the kids, they like the lime, the pineapple, grapefruit, and the harder to find guava one. You don’t have sober adults? Or they are all ok with just water?
Water, coffee and tea as well. The soda drinkers aren’t going to be in attendance.
I make the Rosemary, Baby punch every year
Sprite cranberry
If you’re looking for low effort, I’d say to find a couple of cocktails people will generally like and put them into drink dispensers. Black rose is a good choice, and the old fashioned is a classic. If you want variety you can add a margarita, but if you’re doing salted rims then everyone has to be cool with everyone using the same salt plate or go without. Speaking of which, I’d prep the garnishes and leave them out too, making it essentially so everyone is their own bartender. Things like a vodka tonic or vodka cran are also ones you can have people prep for themselves.
I also like to have a regular whiskey like Maker’s or Jameson, plus a bottle or two people haven’t seen before. Whiskeys are the big one for people who take it neat/rocks. Other than that, if there’s a sipping gin like Hendricks or Avation, it’s not a bad choice.
Only other suggestion is think about leaning towards a local distillery if you have one, because it’s especially fun for any out of town guests and even locals might find something new.
I think everyone likes bourbon and tequila, only some like gin, but they are also the ones who like wine. I don’t think I can put something that’s straight booze like old fashioned or martini in a dispenser because people will pour too big and be too drunk too fast. Maybe if I put tiny cups next to it, LOL. A curated bottles and mixers table is a good idea and I have done that before.
Local is a great idea. The beer people always drink local but we do have distilleries, too.
Sounds like you found the perfect combination of a great party and one of those logic puzzles that starts out with “The man in the green house doesn’t drink tea. The man in the yellow house owns a bird… List the color, pet, car, and favorite drink for each house“
Some years back we served a fall style sangria that went over well. IIRC we made mulled cider, then added white wine, calvados, and sliced apples. I think some cranberries would be a nice touch, too.
I like to make a crock pot of mulled cider and serve cinnamon booze and or rum on the side for folks that want to spike it.
Found a sangria, will do something like this:
