Holiday Drinks: Thanksgiving Cocktails

The holidays are steadily approaching. Soon you will be bombarded with party planning, guest invites, and cooking details. Thanksgiving is a holiday that friends and family gather together, break bread, and watch never-ending football games on television. Why not liven up your Thanksgiving party with a few appropriate cocktails?

A Turkey Shooter

¾ oz. 101-proof Wild Turkey
¼ oz. White Crème de Menthe

This shooter is quite easy to mix. In a liqueur glass, brandy snifter, or if you do not want you good glassware broken, a disposable clear plastic cocktail cup (sold in discount stores). Pour the Wild Turkey in first and float the White Crème de Menthe on top.

To float or layer a liqueur on top of another, tilt your glass slightly and slowly pour the liqueur down the inside of the glass. Pouring the liqueur over the back of a spoon will achieve the same results. The trick is to pour slowly to achieve the layered look.

Want to serve many but avoid purchasing overly expensive liquor? Try concocting a punch. Here's a tip for you: punches should not have several small cubes of ice floating around. Cubes melt quickly and water down your punch. To avoid this, freeze a block of ice in a large and tall plastic storage container. To remove the block easily, place the container in hot water for a minute.

Cranberry-Vodka Punch

2 quarts of chilled cranberry juice cocktail
1 750 ml bottle of chilled vodka (the cheap stuff is fine)
2 cups chilled ginger ale
2 cups chilled club soda

You should mix together the cranberry juice cocktail and vodka in a large punch bowl, stir well. Add your block of ice to the mixture. Pour the club soda and ginger ale on top. Garnish with slices of fresh fruit--pineapple, whole grapes, and kiwi are nice choices for this punch.

You can make this punch non-alcoholic for the kiddos by eliminating the vodka. Be sure to place the children's version in a special spot, and inform all of your adult guests of the difference, so the youngsters are not mistakenly served a loaded beverage. If you fear middle kids may try to sneak a drink, serve an entirely different punch for the youngsters.

Rainbow Sherbet Punch