Thanksgiving is a holiday meal that usually involves some clearly defined roles. If we’re gathering with friends and family, someone is in charge of cooking the turkey, someone else might be responsible for the sweet potatoes, and more often than not the person who has some type of bar or cocktail experience gets tapped to create the drinks menu.

There are those who really enjoy this task, as it gives them a chance to share their profession (or hobby) with friends and family. But others are completely paralyzed by the complexity of the ask—don’t people understand the painstaking preparation that takes place in a craft cocktail bar?

For me, Thanksgiving is a time to embrace simplicity when it comes to drinks. A cranberry ginger ale or cranberry lemon-lime soda mixes amazingly well with whiskey, vodka, gin, rum, and tequila—remember, the humble highball is your friend! There are also many options for ready-to-drink cocktails out there, including Audacitea (tea-lemonade with vodka), Skrewball’s Peanut Butter Whiskey Eggnog, Town Branch’s Bourbonola (cherry cola with bourbon), On The Rocks variety of cocktails, and others.

On the other hand, whiskey geeks often view special occasions as the perfect time to bring out rare and hard-to-find spirits to share with their loved ones. No matter your Thanksgiving style or the beverage you prefer, Thanksgiving is a great time to enjoy your best drinks. I asked several beverage experts how they like to handle spirits for Thanksgiving, and their answers might surprise you.

Holiday Cocktails

Michter’s The Bar at Fort Nelson bartender Dallas White likes to stick to spirits at Thanksgiving, but has some suggestions for making holiday cocktails. “Most people stick to baking spices and pumpkin and things like that,” he says. “Irish coffee type drinks with a little bit of extra baking spices in them is a good way to go. I've [seen] people doing marshmallow fluff toppings on drinks instead of whipped cream, and they may even toast it. One that I liked from previous years was like a sour, something that was shaken and light and refreshing, with a little bit of an aperitif in it and a spice syrup. It has a bit of bitterness, some spices, and bright flavors, but it doesn't really land too heavy or rich.”

That being said, bartenders usually aren’t the ones you want to tap to make the drinks for the family holiday function. After all, this is their time off and they deserve a break. “I work for a wonderful spirit producer,” White says. “But usually, I don't share cocktails with friends and family unless it's in that setting, mostly because I take it too seriously. It's like taking my work home with me.”

The reality is that most families prefer something simple that they can enjoy together rather than an array of complex cocktails. “I think that it really comes down to what inspires you or what your family enjoys,” White says. “At my family gatherings, we typically just stick to spirits. We like to bring fun stuff we collected over the year and share it with everybody. I just always enjoy a spirit a lot more when I get to share it with other people who appreciate it.”

Pairing specific spirits, cocktails, or wine with Thanksgiving dishes can be a fun way to enhance holiday dining. “My favorite pairing isn’t a specific bourbon—it’s a cocktail I love to sip with pie,” says Heather Wibbels, author of Bourbon is my Comfort Food. “I only eat pumpkin pie once a year at Thanksgiving, and I like it with a maple old fashioned that’s high proof, light on maple, and heavy on bitters. Last year, I mixed two ounces of Pikesville Rye, ¼ ounce maple syrup, two dashes Angostura, and three dashes Hella Ginger Bitters. The rye cranked up the pie’s spice, and the bitters deepened its baking-spice backbone. It was glorious!” She also recommends whiskeys like Old Forester 1920, Michter’s Single Barrel Rye, and Buzzard’s Roost Single Barrel to enjoy with your Thanksgiving meal.

Bring Out the Bottles

If cocktails are too complicated for your low-key Thanksgiving holiday, there are some other great whiskeys to pair with traditional holiday dishes. “My favorite Thanksgiving food pairings would have to feature some of the more toasty and decadent whiskeys, given the food my family makes on the holiday,” says bartender and Council of Whisky Masters Master of Bourbon Bethne Stewart. “Widow Jane’s Decadence with some pumpkin pie, Angel’s Envy Rye with my grandma’s ginger cookies, or my personal favorite, Old Forester 1924, neat with ham and sweet potatoes.”

Happy Thanksgiving from The Unicorn Review!

Cocktail Recipes

Ruinite Negroni

This cocktail is easy to make—it has only three ingredients and balances sweet and sour flavors with a nice fall citrus note. Plus, the Lambrusco alone is one of my favorite things to pair with Thanksgiving turkey.

2 oz of Riunite Lambrusco
1 oz Campari
1 oz of sweet vermouth
Garnish: orange slice

Add all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a rocks glass with ice. Garnish with an orange slice.

Sagamore Spirit Hot Toddy

If make-ahead ingredients are your jam, whip up this honey simple syrup and simmer some water with a cinnamon stick in it. Your house will smell amazing for the holidays!

1.5 oz Sagamore Spirit Small Batch Rye Whiskey
3 oz boiling water
.5 oz lemon juice
.75 oz honey simple syrup*
1 cinnamon stick
Garnish: lemon wedge

Boil the water with the cinnamon stick in it. Pour boiling water, rye whiskey, lemon juice and honey syrup into a mug. Mix and garnish with lemon wedge.

*Honey Simple Syrup: Combine 1 cup honey and 1 cup water in a small pot. Cook over low heat until honey dissolves. Chill overnight and strain.

Chicken Cock Thanksgiving: Skip the Turkey

Who doesn’t love bubbles and cranberries for Thanksgiving?

2 oz Chicken Cock Kentucky Straight Bourbon
1 oz orange juice
.75 oz Demerara syrup
.5 oz cranberry juice
sparkling wine
Garnish: fresh cranberry and rosemary sprig

Stir all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice. Pour into chilled stemmed glassware. Top with sparkling wine, a cranberry pick, and sprig of rosemary.