Thanksgiving is a special holiday; it reminds us of how we must exercise gratitude not just for a few hours, but every day of our lives. For our jobs, families, friends, and good health, one must be thankful that the sun rose yet again, to give us another splendid 24 hours. We may complain, moan, and stomp our feet in frustration, but fail to appreciate what we have, as opposed to what we don't. This Thanksgiving, we have more to be grateful for, considering the plight of others around the world who don't get to sit around a sumptuous banquet. Turkey is a beautiful, succulent meat, with its origins unknown with regard to how it officially became the star of a celebratory meal. They say that pairing white wine with white meat is ideal, but who's to say we can't give other options a go, right? We reveal which cocktails make delightful accompaniments while eating a Thanksgiving meal. It is recommended, that you make the cocktails in batches for the crowd, so that they retain the best of the flavors. Cocktail Recipes for Thanksgiving Cranberry Ginger Martini Ingredients • 8 oz. of cranberry vodka • Double splash of cranberry juice • Double dash of lime juice • Dash of Sprite • 2 tsp. of grated ginger Serves: 2 Garnish: 7 - 8 fresh cranberries, lemon rind Glass: Martini Fill your glasses with ice and keep them aside for frosting. Now, muddle your cranberries and ginger and add the cranberry and lemon juice. Shake it well before adding the vodka. Pour the mix over the ice-filled glasses. Add the Sprite and garnish with a lemon rind and a few cranberries before serving. Cranberry Orange Ingredients • 8 oz. sparkling white wine • 1 oz. orange liqueur • 4 oz. cranberry juice • Ice cubes Serves: 2 Garnish: Fresh cranberries, thin orange slices Glass: Cocktail Fill your cocktail glasses with ice. Now pour the cranberry juice and sparkling wine, finish it off by adding orange liqueur to it. Garnish with cranberries and orange slices, and then serve. Apple Sparkler Ingredients • 5 cups apple cider (sparkling) • ¼ cup ginger syrup (you can use finely grated ginger and sugar syrup, as an alternative) Serves: 6 Garnish: 6 cinnamon sticks, 6 pieces crystallized ginger Glass: Collins Pour your ginger syrup in a glass tumbler full of ice. Pour the cider, stir well, and transfer to waiting glasses. Garnish with cinnamon sticks and crystallized ginger before serving. For those who wish to use an alternative for the ginger syrup (I did not, when I wanted to make this drink), take some freshly grated ginger in your shaker, add sugar syrup to it and muddle well. Cognac Fizz Ingredients • 4 tbsp. cognac • 2 cups chilled apple cider • A dash of bitters Serves: 4 Glass: Champagne flutes Fill the flutes with ice and keep them aside for 2 - 3 minutes. This is done to frost the glasses. Pour 1 tbsp. of cognac into each of your flutes and fill the glasses with chilled cider. Now finish it off with a dash of bitters and serve the sophisticated drink to your guests. Sangria Ingredients • 1 bottle red wine • 2 tbsp. demerara sugar • 2 cups ginger ale • 1 lemon/1 orange (cut into wedges) • 1 shot brandy/rum Fruit Choices: Strawberries, peaches, apples, blueberries, raspberries, kiwi, oranges or melons (all sliced and deseeded). Serves: 4 - 5 Garnish: Lemon wedge Glass: Highball Pour your wine into a pitcher, add sugar along with the lemon and orange wedges. Add the brandy/rum and stir well. Now add your choice of fruit, stir once, and then put the pitcher in the refrigerator; chill overnight. During the meal, pour the ale and serve in highball glasses filled with lots of ice. Garnishing is not necessary, however, a lemon wedge will finish off your refreshing sangria's look. Thanksgiving Punch Ingredients • 1 liter bourbon • ½ liter red wine • 8 oz. dark rum • 5 oz. gin • 5 oz. apricot brandy • ½ liter black tea • Double shots of lemon juice • Double shots of sugar syrup • Ice cubes Serves: 8 - 10 Garnish: Lime wedge Glass: Collins In a glass pitcher, mix your bourbon, red wine, and dark rum along with the cooled black tea; place the pitcher in the refrigerator for 2 hours. In another glass container, combine the gin and apricot brandy and let it chill for 2 hours, too. Mix both solutions, add the sugar syrup and lemon juice. Pour the drink over ice in your highball glasses. Garnish with a lime wedge and serve. Apple Cider Cooler Ingredients • 8 - 10 cups apple cider • 5 strips of lemon zest • 2 cinnamon sticks • 1 tsp. cloves • 1 tsp. allspice berries • 2 star anise (optional) Serves: 8 Glass: Beer mugs Pour your apple cider in a saucepan, add the lemon zest and spices and bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from the heat and keep it covered for about 25 - 30 minutes to give it enough time to steep. Use a strainer to separate the solid bits from the liquid; pour into the glasses and serve. Hot 'Spicy' Rum Ingredients • ¾ cup spiced rum • ¼ cup honey • 1 stick of butter at room temperature • ⅔ cup dark brown sugar • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon • ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg • ⅛ tsp. ground clove • 2 cups boiling water • A pinch of salt Serves: 4 Garnish: 4 cinnamon sticks Glass: Old-fashioned Beat the brown sugar along with the butter and honey in an electric blender, until there are no traces of sugar left. Add the cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, and powdered cloves to the mixture and beat well a second time. Pour the liquid into the old-fashioned glasses, add rum and boiling water. Stir till the mixture is well-blended. Garnish with the cinnamon sticks and serve hot. Pumpkin delight Ingredients • 8 oz. vanilla-flavored vodka • 4 tbsp. puree of pumpkin • 4 tsp. sugar syrup • 4 oz. cream • Ice cubes Serves: 4 Garnish: Cinnamon sticks, whole cream Glass: Whiskey tumbler/old-fashioned Pour the pumpkin puree and vodka in a shaker. Add the cream and syrup. Now top it up with ice. Shake the mix well and strain it into your glasses. You can serve the drinks with or without ice. Cinnamon sticks and a dollop of cream will complete the drinks. Pumpkin Martini Ingredients • 2 oz. cream liqueur • 4 oz. pumpkin puree • 8 oz. vanilla-flavored vodka • 4 tsp whipped cream • Ice cubes Serves: 4 Garnish: Dash of cinnamon powder, cinnamon stick Glass: Martini In a cocktail shaker, combine the vanilla-flavored vodka, cream liqueur, purée, and ice cubes and shake well. Strain the cocktail in the martini glass and top it with whipped cream and the cinnamon stick. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon powder on top and serve the delicious concoction. Lime Margarita Ingredients • 14 oz. orange liqueur • 22 oz. tequila • 10 oz. fresh lime juice • 4 oz. sugar syrup • Ice cubes Serves: 15 - 16 Garnish: Lime wedges or lime wheels Glass: Margarita In a glass pitcher, add the lime juice and liqueur. Add the syrup according to your liking; more if you like your margarita a little sweeter, and less if you like it tangy. Add the tequila and set aside. Now rim your glasses with salt. For every drink, fill the shaker with ice, pour about 3 ounces of the margarita mix and shake well. Pour into a glass using a strainer. Be very careful while pouring as you have rimmed your glasses and you do not wish to ruin the look. Finish it off with a lemon wheel. Gin and Maple Shake Ingredients • 6 oz. gin • 1 oz. maple syrup • 1 inch cinnamon stick • 2 lemon wedges • 1 pear (preferably fresh) Serves: 2 Garnish: Cinnamon sticks Glass: Champagne coupe Pour the syrup, lemon wedges, cinnamon stick and pear into a shaker and muddle all the ingredients. Add ice and pour the gin. Shake well and strain into your coupes, using a strainer. Add a cinnamon stick to each glass before serving.