Martha Stewart's Go-To Thanksgiving Cocktail Is Packed With Fall Flavor
Turkey, stuffing, and all the fixings are no doubt key elements of a perfect Thanksgiving feast. However, a perfectly paired cocktail can really work to tie your meal together seamlessly. Lucky for us, hostess extraordinaire Martha Stewart has just crafted the ideal autumn drink that features an abundance of festive fall flavors. Introducing the apple cider bourbon sour.
Beyond pumpkin spice, there are a few other flavors that have come to define autumn. Some of these seasonal offerings, as reported by Webstaurant, include nuts (hazelnuts and chestnuts), warm spices (chai, ginger, and cinnamon), and seasonal fruits (pears and apples) — even bourbon makes the cut, given that it often has notes of baking spices. Building on the seasonal staples of apple cider and bourbon in particular, Stewart shared a festive twist on a whiskey sour at an event for Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon.
Interestingly, Thrillist explains that bourbon is often used as the base in a whiskey sour to add notes of caramel, vanilla, and oak for a balanced drink in contrast to a smoky Scotch or bitter rye. But, where a classic sour also mixes together lemon juice, simple syrup, and an egg white foam (via Difford's), Stewart instead ditches the syrup for a delicately sweet, spiced apple cider.
It's a simple crowd-pleaser
Looking for a drink that'll warm you up from the outside in? Then Martha Stewart's apple cider bourbon sour is just what you need. Simple to make and even easier to sip, the apple cider-focused cocktail feels like a warm hug. Bursting with warm spices, it's slightly sweet yet still punchy thanks to the boozy hit of bourbon. The perfect balance of juicy apple goodness and oak-y liquor, you might just want to drink it from September all the way through November, and not just during your Thanksgiving feast!
After filling a pitcher with 8 ounces of bourbon (or orange juice, for a mocktail version), Martha Stewart recommends adding in 16 ounces of apple cider and the juice of 1 lemon, stirring until it's combined — shaking in a cocktail shaker isn't necessary unless you want to make it ice cold within seconds. To serve, Stewart suggests dunking the rim of a glass in lemon juice and rolling it in brown sugar for an apple pie-inspired sip, serving the poured cocktail with a frozen ball of apple cider in the glass. Add a slice of fresh apple to garnish and prepare for guests to be amazed.
"You can drink a couple of these. I would not go more than two, in case you have to give a speech tonight, or meet up with a business partner, or find your way home," jokes Stewart. Consider yourself warned, and enjoy these in moderation!