What to Drink for Thanksgiving, Part 1

Our wine team gets the challenge every year: what's the best wine to have on Thanksgiving? We're assembling their answers, and we'll have their wine suggestions for you later this week. For today, we're playing host and offering a few Thanksgiving-oriented cocktail suggestions.

Hard Cider Sangria

1 cup quartered and thinly sliced unpeeled green, yellow and red apples
1 navel orange—quartered and thinly sliced crosswise
1 cup apple juice, chilled
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup Laird's Applejack
1 500ML bottle Sam Smith Organic Cider
Ice

In a pitcher, combine the apples with the orange, apple juice, lemon juice and brandy. Just before serving, add the hard cider. Serve in tall glasses over ice.

Champagne Mojito

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups packed mint leaves, plus 12 mint sprigs, for garnish
6 limes, cut into wedges
2 cups Bacardi rum
Cracked ice
3 cups Duc de Romet Champagne or Gruet Brut (if you prefer a domestic sparkling wine)

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water and cook over high heat just until the sugar has dissolved. Let cool to room temperature.

In a large pitcher, combine the sugar syrup with the mint leaves and lime wedges and muddle well with a wooden spoon. Add the rum and stir well. Strain the drink into another pitcher.

Fill tall glasses with cracked ice and pour in the drink, filling them about two-thirds full. Top with Champagne, garnish with the mint sprigs and serve.

Cameron's Cooler

12 ounces Stag's Head Scotch
4 ounces dry white wine, such as Santa Rita 120 Sauvignon Blanc
4 ounces fresh lemon juice
4 ounces Simple Syrup
Ice
8 ounces chilled ginger beer (Gosling's or Crabbie's)
Angostura bitters, for garnish

In a large resealable container, combine the first four ingredients; refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Cover and shake, then pour into an ice-filled pitcher. Strain into ice-filled Collins glasses, stir in the ginger beer and garnish with dashes of bitters.