Spice up your holiday menu with cocktail

Published 7:41 pm Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Plymouth pilgrims didn’t drink pumpkin martinis, as far as we know. But that doesn’t mean you can’t break with tradition and pair liquor with the food on the Thanksgiving table.

Though wine is the conventional go-to beverage when pairing food and drink, spirits and cocktails can make for interesting match-ups and add novelty to the menu.

Liquor doesn’t come with built-in guidelines like the white-wine-with-chicken mantra (though that rule gets broken successfully quite often these days). But the basics of pairing are the same — look for flavors in the drink that will either complement or nicely contrast the food being served.

Holiday soother

2 ounces Scotch whisky

1 ounce calvados (apple brandy)

1 ounce apple cider

1 ounce simple syrup or agave syrup

Pinch ground cinnamon

1-2 ice cubes

1 3-inch cinnamon stick

In a cocktail shaker, combine the whisky, calvados, cider, simple syrup and ground cinnamon. Use just one or two ice cubes per serving. The goal is to cool the drink, but not serve it chilled.

Shake, then strain into a tumbler or stemless wine glass. Serve with a cinnamon stick.

Makes 1 serving. Per serving: 300 calories; 0 calories from fat (0 percent of total calories); 0 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 27 g carbohydrate; 0 g protein; 0 g fiber; 0 mg sodium.