As much as Thanksgiving is about the turkey, stuffing, and gravy-topped mashed potatoes (ok, it is time yet!?), hosting a notable Thanksgiving gathering isn’t complete without a signature cocktail.
Don’t believe us? Try creating one of these four cocktails from some of our favourite Toronto bars this weekend.
You can thank us later.
1. The Venue: Gladstone Hotel
The Drink: Beggars Banquet
Why It Works: With warm fall flavours of bourbon, beer, and good old Canadian maple syrup, this drink is pretty much Thanksgiving in a glass. A hint of lemon adds a touch of sour deliciousness.
Ingredients
2 oz. Bourbon
0.5 oz. Lemon juice
1 oz. Maple syrup
Muskoka Mad Tom IPA or Black Oak’s 10 Bitter Years
Directions
Shake bourbon and lemon juice with ice and pour into a tulip glass. Top with preferred beer and maple syrup to taste. Garnish with a lemon wheel or peel.
2. The Venue: Milagro Cantinas
The Drink: Mezcal Manhattan
Why It Works: The perfect cocktail to enjoy post-turkey, this Mexican spin on the classic Manhattan has peppery mezcal in place of whiskey and agave syrup for sweetness.
Ingredients
1 oz. Mezcal Reposado
1 oz. sweet vermouth
1 tsp. dark agave syrup
1 drop Angostura bitters
1 Maraschino cherry
1 orange twist
Directions
Fill a Boston shaker with large ice cubes. Pour in spirits, agave syrup, and bitters. Stir for two minutes. Using a strainer, pour into a rocks or a martini glass. Drop in the cherry, twist orange zest over the glass for aromatics, and garnish with an orange wedge on the side of the glass.
3. The Venue: Enoteca Sociale
The Drink: Carmelita Sour
Why It Works: The Carmelita Sour is a quick soul-warmer. The brown butter-infused Brandy adds a slight nuttiness, while the lemon juice hits you in the back of the throat as you sip away pre or post-turkey dinner. The egg white gives it a slight frothiness.
Ingredients
1.5 oz. brown butter-infused brandy
0.5 oz. Scotch
1 oz. lemon juice
1 oz. simple syrup
1 egg white
Directions for Brown Butter Infused Brandy
Brown one pound of butter and add to a 26 oz. bottle of your preferred brandy. Stir, and then freeze for six hours. Thaw and strain to remove the now solidified butter.
Directions for Carmelita Sour
Combine all ingredients in a watertight vessel. Shake quickly to avoid solidification. Pour into a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake, and then strain into tumbler. Garnish with a dash of bitters.
4. The Venue: East Thirty-Six
The Drink: Warm Mulled Wine
Why It Works: A crisp and cold fall evening calls for something warm and soothing. And to make your life easier, it can be made in batches and left in a slow cooker to stay warm.
Ingredients
2 bottles red wine
1 lemon, peeled
2 oranges, peeled
4 oz. Dark rum
3 whole cloves
4 slices of fresh ginger, peeled
150 grams brown sugar
Cinnamon stick
Pinch of nutmeg
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker set to low (or a Dutch oven over low heat). Stir, and let warm up for an hour and a half to allow all the flavours to meld together. Turn heat to “keep warm” setting (or lowest temperature on your stove top, if going that route). Ladle into mugs.
#NOTABLE
Cover image from: Istock.com/Ryzhkov
Carmelita Sour Pic from: tangbro1.blogspot.com
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