By Rebekah Peppler, The New York Times
The distance from no Thanksgiving cocktail to Thanksgiving cocktail should be short: bottle to glass to hand. But unless you’re aiming to pour rounds of liquor directly on the rocks and call it a holiday, you’ll want to find inspiration in three-ingredient classics.
“They’re easy to put together and are always going to be balanced,” said Kapri Robinson, a bartender in Washington, D.C., and the president of Chocolate City’s Best, which creates opportunities for people of color in the food and beverage industry. “You’re not layering too many flavors, and you’re allowing the spirits to shine.”
There are plenty of interesting routes to take, but decidedly fall-friendly whiskey — with its many options to suit a range of tastes — is a sure winner.
Robinson points to the spirit’s innate warmth as the key to its appeal in cooler months. “It’s the wood influence,” she said. “When you have spirits that are aged, the wood is bringing in that vanilla, those caramels, those baking spices.”
Land, perhaps, on an Old Pal, the Boulevardier’s drier, spicier cousin, made with rye, dry vermouth and red bitter liqueur; combine bourbon, lemon and honey for a Gold Rush; or opt for the closely related whiskey sour’s timeless meld of bourbon, lemon and sugar (plus an optional egg white).
Scotch drinkers can unite around the Rob Roy, the often-smoky whiskey mixed with sweet vermouth and bitters — itself a hop (of scotch) away from a rye-laced Manhattan. Or you might “perfect” your Manhattan by splitting the classic’s sweet vermouth into equal parts sweet and dry. Should you care to take your Manhattan through to the pie hour, Robinson suggests switching out the vermouth for an amaro to set the post-dinner digestive mood.
Another whiskey-based drink for the holiday is the Presbyterian. Lighter and brighter but no less whiskied than the aforementioned drink options, it combines ginger ale, soda water and a whiskey of your choosing. Bourbon leans the drink sweeter; scotch, smokier; rye more spice-forward.
If you’re looking to explore outside the bourbon-scotch-rye trinity, Robinson suggests slipping a bottle of American single malt or Japanese whisky onto the holiday bar as well. Simply put: Feel free to use any whiskey you enjoy.
Lastly, if you plan to plan ahead, try batching your Boulevardier in advance. The longer you let the combination of whiskey, sweet vermouth and red bitter liqueur sit, the softer and more velvety the drink’s texture will become.
Holidays can be complicated. So keep what you can simple, easy and straightforward — at least when it comes to your cocktail program.
Recipe: Perfect Manhattan
By Rebekah Peppler
All these years later, the formula for the Manhattan, a late-19th-century classic, remains the same: two parts whiskey, one part vermouth, plus bitters, stirred over ice and served up. Making it “perfect” simply means splitting the traditional sweet vermouth into equal parts sweet and dry. While this recipe calls for rye whiskey, lending spiced notes to the final drink, bourbon is a fine substitute. As for the garnish, a cherry will sweeten the drink slightly (as well as provide a boozy snack), while a lemon twist brightens.
Yield: 1 drink
Ingedients
- Ice
- 2 ounces rye whiskey
- 1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
- 1/2 ounce dry vermouth
- 3 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 brandied or maraschino cherry or a lemon twist, for garnish (optional)
Preparation
In a cocktail shaker or mixing glass filled with ice, combine the rye, sweet vermouth, dry vermouth and bitters. Stir until well chilled, about 30 seconds, then strain into a chilled Nick and Nora or coupe glass. Garnish with a cherry or lemon twist.
Recipe: Presbyterian
By Rebekah Peppler
As with all short ingredient lists, quality matters. Make sure to look for a drier ginger ale with a bite to it and reach for a whiskey you like to drink. Bourbon will result in a sweeter-leaning drink, Scotch a smokier variation, rye one that’s a little more spiced. While the citrus garnish is optional, if you do opt for it, lean in fully and squeeze the garnish directly into the drink. The hit of fresh citrus will brighten and add a lovely aroma.
Yield: 1 drink
Ingredients
- Ice
- 1 1/2 ounces rye, Scotch or bourbon
- 2 to 3 ounces dry ginger ale, chilled
- 2 to 3 ounces club soda, chilled
- Lemon or lime wedge or peel, optional
Preparation
Fill a Collins or highball glass with ice. Add the whiskey of your choice and top with ginger ale and soda. Garnish with the citrus.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
