Since it's coming up...what do you drink on Thanksgiving?

For me, I like a Bourbon Manhattan before the meal, a good Calf. Zinfandel with the meal & a wee nip of B&B or Baileys after the meal.

I break out the egg nog that evening!

Also a good port wine is always nice. I just tasted a Spiced Apple Wine this past weekend that was terrific. I'd never tried anything like that...it'll be amongst the drinks available this year.

We actually start the day with a Cape Cod Mimosa..........champagne, Cointreau (or triple Sec when i feel cheap), cranberry juice and a few frozen cranberries that have been rolled in Sugar.  We used to live in the UK and I started teaching the folks hthere about Thanksgiving and Cranberries.  It was a big hit there as well as here.

Always untreated apple cider.

Coffee in the morning. We'll serve wine with Thanksgiving dinner at mid afternoon. My wife's family always had Manhattans at 5 PM. Lately, we've made them to each one's preference. Mine is with Bourbon. My wife goes to blended whiskeys like her dad always made and my sister-in-law seems to now favor brandy Manhattans for some reason.

After watching the last few episodes of Mad Men on AMC cable I have this urge to have a mini bar in my living room and a drink in my hands at all times. I was too young, broke and unsophisticated back in the 60s to partake in those three martini lunches.

After the quirky folks are all set...homemade wine. Then when the quirky folks go home Champagne with Chinese food we always order to celebrate another job...well done. Pop in Willy Wonka and peruse the ads the people will be speeding around to grab in a few hours...since we will not be there.

Chef sauce is chardonnay (that which is consumed whilst preparing the bird)...usually a nice Aussie wine. Turkey is consumed with maybe a pinot noir, or a zin, maybe a petite syrah or and Aussie shiraz, sometimes all four depending on how many guests..usually the choice depends on what I see when shopping.

I've homebrewed beer a good 17 years, wine 12 years, hard cider 5-6 years.  Christmas and Thanksgiving I pull out some aged 2-3-4 year old wines and maybe a couple strong dark beers from the previous year if there's any that stood up well.  Maybe a glass of of a good 10 year tawny port.

Around mid/late afternoon, I start with a scotch or whisky sour while the SO has a martini or two.  As dinner nears I switch to wine, then we both have wine with dinner. Dessert always includes some kind of sweet wine or liqueur. This year's dinner wines will be a Capiaux 2006 Pinot Noir "Chimera" and a Lopez de Heredia 2002 Viña Cubillo; the dessert wine will be a 2001 Chateau Gravas Sauternes. And if we run out of either, I have reinforcements!

Pinot Noir, always American, for Thanksgiving dinner.

WarToad


I've homebrewed beer a good 17 years, wine 12 years, hard cider 5-6 years.  Christmas and Thanksgiving I pull out some aged 2-3-4 year old wines and maybe a couple strong dark beers from the previous year if there's any that stood up well.  Maybe a glass of of a good 10 year tawny port.

....ummm...can I head over to your house for Thanksgiving?

What else but Wild Turkey !

No alcohol allowed in the house at mom's, so we stand in the driveway in shifts and drink a couple cold beers. Nothing sophisticated, just like we like it.

Ginger Ale.

Cranberry Ginger Ale if I could find it....

Untreated cider from my sister's apples. Milk, coffee.
We don't drink alcohol.

We will start with Alban Vinyards, 2001 Syrah Reva, Edna Valley and finish with Shafer, 2002 Syrah Relentless, Napa Valley. 
 
America's Finest!

stricken_detective


Cranberry Ginger Ale if I could find it....

really!!--with a shot of a little somthing to keep up the holiday spirits!  My Dad would grab a Cape Codder and settle in front of the tv--watch football and yell out for someone to bring him another drink--more shrimp --a piece of mince pie before dinner--whatever---well he's gone now and being the oldest son i feel it is my familiar obligation to pick up that torch!

Just out of curiosity, what is the best wine to serve with a turkey dinner? I always thought a white wine was supposed to be served with poultry but I personally favor red wines. So is that appropriate?

Trauth Dairy Egg Nog with a splash of rum

When I was a kid growing up mom would always get a bottle of sparkling grape juice for us kids at the kiddie table.  Welchs sparkling white grape juice, ahh the memories.

Davydd


Just out of curiosity, what is the best wine to serve with a turkey dinner? I always thought a white wine was supposed to be served with poultry but I personally favor red wines. So is that appropriate?

 
Any kind of wine you like is appropriate. The only real reason to fuss about types and styles of wine is to avoid unpleasant flavor clashes, and by extension, to find food/wine pairings that work well for your palate. 
 
If you're looking for wine flavor pairings with turkey, it'll depend on the turkey itself. A very buttery, moist turkey can go well with an oaky/buttery chardonnay, but will also go nicely with a light pinot noir. A very herbal turkey can go well with a crisp, dry white wine (such as unoaked sauvignon blanc or viognier) or a nice spicy/herbal red (such as a Cotes-du-Rhone or tempranillo/garnacha blend). Some people love a slightly sweet white, like an off-dry Riesling, with turkey; others really love the light red fruitiness of Beaujolais Nouveau. It just depends on what you like or what flavors you want. The only rules are your own.

Davydd


Just out of curiosity, what is the best wine to serve with a turkey dinner? I always thought a white wine was supposed to be served with poultry but I personally favor red wines. So is that appropriate?

I think that is a matter of taste


If you enjoy a red wine I would go with a Pinot Noir
If you enjoy a white wine then a Chardonay
If you enjoy a sweeter wine then a white zinfandel

Davydd


Just out of curiosity, what is the best wine to serve with a turkey dinner? I always thought a white wine was supposed to be served with poultry but I personally favor red wines. So is that appropriate?

I see it as a side dish/wine pairing instead of a turkey/wine pairing. I think a Zin or Beaujolais-Villages taste better alongside such things as sausage dressing, gravy & craneberries. Most whites are too subtle to stand up to those items.

Davydd -

Reds pair exceptionally well with turkey.  I read some wine critic say that for a truly American Holiday, serve the uniquely American grape, Zinfandel.

I also serve a Spatlese Riesling for my white wine drinkers.  It also stands up to the full flavored menu.

jrp

Davydd


Just out of curiosity, what is the best wine to serve with a turkey dinner? I always thought a white wine was supposed to be served with poultry but I personally favor red wines. So is that appropriate?

 
Davydd, Here are some tips from the Tasters at Wine Spectator.  Typically a bolder, full-bodied reds like zinfandel and syrah match up good with turkey.  More important, drink what you like. 
 
http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/The-Thanksgiving-Table_2827
 
http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/The-Thanksgiving-Table-Part-2_4472
 
And here are some of the wine makers choices.
 
http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/Thanksgiving-American-Vintner-Style_3285

Davydd


Just out of curiosity, what is the best wine to serve with a turkey dinner? I always thought a white wine was supposed to be served with poultry but I personally favor red wines. So is that appropriate?

A little off the beaten-path of traditional wine but right in your neighborhood...
 
WineHaven Winery & Vineyard in Chisago City MN makes a cranberry wine that would be a great match with Thanksgiving. Their Slippery Slope ice wines (for or with dessert) are   fantastic.
 http://www.winehaven.com/home.php

The New York Times just published this article on Thanksgiving and wine pairings:
http://www.nytimes.com/20...ng/reviews/11wine.html

Riesling

FriedClamFanatic


We actually start the day with a Cape Cod Mimosa..........champagne, Cointreau (or triple Sec when i feel cheap), cranberry juice and a few frozen cranberries that have been rolled in Sugar.  We used to live in the UK and I started teaching the folks hthere about Thanksgiving and Cranberries.  It was a big hit there as well as here.

I've enjoyed a variation of this that substituted Chamborg (raspberry liquor) for the triple sec. I think they called a "Chamberry".

If we gather in time for the early football games on TV I will do a 'Redneck Sour' (Mountain Dew or the equiv. with Knob Creek) during the games and discussion.

If we dine here at home Vernor's would be my beverage of choice with the dinner. If we are with the kids, Any Ginger Ale or Cranberry Juice mixture that is available will be fine. I tend to consume more than the average amount of soft-drink with dinner on those holiday events.

CCinNJ

Davydd


Just out of curiosity, what is the best wine to serve with a turkey dinner? I always thought a white wine was supposed to be served with poultry but I personally favor red wines. So is that appropriate?

A little off the beaten-path of traditional wine but right in your neighborhood...
 
WineHaven Winery & Vineyard in Chisago City MN makes a cranberry wine that would be a great match with Thanksgiving. Their Slippery Slope ice wines (for or with dessert) are   fantastic.
 http://www.winehaven.com/home.php

Good find! There are two excellent wine shops near my house that sell it too - Excelsior Vintage and Haskell's in Excelsior.

The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum which I am a member is near us. They develop new grape strains that can survive Minnesota winters as well as apples such as the Honeycrisp. They say Minnesota has 38 vineyards now. I can remember when there was only one.