As the late autumn days pass by and the winter comes, we slowly start preparing for the upcoming holidays. We all love holidays because that’s the “most wonderful time of the year”. It’s the time we spend with our family and friends. When planning the holidays, we cannot avoid planning the gatherings as well. That means planning the number of people we are going to invite, the food we are going to prepare, the drinks we are going to serve, the décor, and the music. And, while we can easily find music online and buy décor in local shops, it’s kind of hard to think of which drinks to serve and how to pair them with the food. Since the holiday gatherings are usually cocktail parties, you can start by planning which cocktails you are going to serve. In order to make this easier, you should first plan your meals and holiday cocktail and food pairings.
One way to save on time and money is to order alcohol online. But, when it comes to food, you will probably want to prepare it yourself, at least the most important things (e.g. The turkey for thanksgiving). So, before you even buy alcohol and start making the food, you need to plan how you will pair both of them. And, since this can be pretty difficult, here’s a short guide on cocktails and food pairing for the holidays.
1. Turkey and Thanksgiving Cocktail
It’s a tradition to serve turkey as the main course for Thanksgiving. But, what can you pair with this super-delicious meal? There are plenty of liquors you can combine with it, including different types of wines and beer. But if you want to serve cocktails, then, you can choose the famous Thanksgiving cocktail. In order to prepare this cocktail, you need:
- 0.75 oz. dry vermouth
- 0.75 oz. gin
- 0.75 oz. apricot brandy
- 0.25 oz. lemon juice
- Maraschino cherry (for garnish)
Instructions:
- Put all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice and shake well.
- Pour the mixture into a cool cocktail glass.
- Garnish the cocktail with a maraschino cherry.
2. Roast Chicken and Champagne Cocktail
We all love eating mouth-filling roast chicken for the holidays. But, how can we choose the right cocktail to serve with it? If we take into consideration that this dish is neutral but prepared with lots of different herbs and spices, such as rosemary and garlic, you need something bright and clean that goes with the main flavour of the dish. That’s why you should choose the champagne cocktail. In order to prepare it, you need:
- Champagne
- Angostura bitters
- Sugar cube
- Lemon twist (for garnish)
Instructions:
- Add the sugar cube in a champagne glass.
- Pour Angostura bitters.
- Pour dry champagne or sparkling wine.
- Garnish with a lemon twist.
3. Gingerbread Cookies and Brandy Milk Punch
Gingerbread cookies are probably the most beloved holiday dessert. Regardless if they are in the form of gingerbread men, house, or a loaf, we all love this dessert. When serving to kids, gingerbread cookies are served with milk. But you can’t give milk to adults, right? It should be a cocktail.
What if you serve it with a milky cocktail? We guess it would be the ultimate combination. In order to prepare this brandy milk punch, you need:
- 1.5 oz. brandy
- 6 oz. whole milk
- 1 oz. maple syrup
- Ground cinnamon and nutmeg for garnish
Instructions:
- Put all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice.
- Shake well.
- Pour the mixture into a tall glass.
- Garnish the cocktail by dusting the drink with ground cinnamon and nutmeg.
4. Raw Truffle Balls and Cranberry-bourbon Sipper
When thinking about what to combine with raw truffle balls, we think there’s nothing better than a mouth-filling cranberry-bourbon sipper. It’s because there’s no better more warming cocktail you can drink on a cold winter night. You can prepare this cocktail using:
- 1 cup bourbon
- 2 quarts chilled cranberry juice
- 2 cups cold pomegranate juice
- 1 cup chilled fresh lime juice
- ½ cup chilled fresh lemon juice
- 1⅓ cups light brown sugar
- 1⅓ cups water
- Fresh cranberries for garnish
Instructions:
- Combine the 1⅓ cups of water and sugar in a medium saucepan to make a simple syrup.
- Cook on medium-high heat by stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- Remove the combination from the heat and let it cool.
- Pour the syrup with the other ingredients in a jug or big glass filled with ice.
- Garnish with cranberries.
There are many other cocktails and food combinations for the upcoming holidays. But, these four seem to be the most famous and most common ones for the winter holidays season. Hence, regardless of which one you choose, you won’t make a mistake. So, the only thing that remains is to enjoy the holidays.