Thanksgiving with a Twist

If you’re looking for something other than wine to pair with your Thanksgiving dinner, interesting options abound. In addition to helping to get the festivities going, cocktails can be great for pairing with your favorite holiday foods. Try the sparkling Belle de Jour from our current issue (page 34) with roast beef, or the pomegranate-packed Jefferson’s Crimson cocktail (page 36) with turkey or venison. Beer is another fantastic match for food, and there are plenty of special brews to compliment your holiday spread. Brown ales go incredibly well with lamb, pilsners can pair perfectly with salmon, and stouts, of course, can be a decadent match for desserts, like chocolate pecan pie. Also think about specific styles of coffee and tea to go with your holiday sweets. An El Salvador coffee with notes of citrus, cinnamon and nutmeg can make a pear tart even more special, and a Darjeeling tea can be just right with a spicy ginger cake.

If you can’t save room for dessert but you still want to cap off your meal with something sweet, try a glass of cream sherry or tawny port, or a sweet but spicy herbal liqueur, like Zwack. Let us know what you plan to drink with your holiday spread this year—we’d love to know what intriguing ideas you have up your sleeves!