4 minute read
IRRESISTIBLE AND FOOD FRIENDLY
By Jennifer English James Beard Award winner, Editor-at-Large of PR%F Magazine and PR%F Alcohol Free.
Thanksgiving may be the most important meal of the year as well as the most collaborative. Pairing a beverage with Thanksgiving can become an afterthought. After all, how can a sip compete with grandmother’s sage stuffing or a green bean casserole? More importantly, how can a pairing be successful if there are so many stars on the stage of the Thanksgiving table? What do you pair with what—the turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, or something else? The answer lies in the complexity of flavors, dishes, and traditions that do something technical to our senses. The Thanksgiving plate holds foods that deliver the sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and savory elements which trigger our tastebuds. When a bite of food delivers more elements—sweet, salty, sour, bitter, savory—the more pleasurable we experience that bite. Thanksgiving is the culinary version of the edible greatest hits album for our senses. The single biggest clue about where to begin the pairing evaluation is quite simple. In my family and at our table, we always pair the drinks with the big flavor note of each course. For the entree plate, which holds so many flavors, look to the most prominent flavors on the plate. Usually, it is the stuffing that is the star. If your tradition calls for sage, oysters, or cornbread, that is a solid place to find the perfect non-alcohol pairing. This is also a very useful guide for selecting a non-alcohol bottle or two to bring as a hostess gift. Growing up in Massachusetts, the site of the original Thanksgiving and home to prized cranberry bogs, the original Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail was preset on the table at each place in a diminutive cordial glass as a toasting sip for all at the table, young and old. Crisp, tart, sweet, and distinctive as a representative of the time and place showcasing perfection. Today, I start Thanksgiving with this same preset pour for one and all.
The welcome pour for guests also celebrates the moment of hospitality and joy of conviviality we share in gathering together. Thanksgiving calls for bubbles as the very best way to celebrate, which is the only way to celebrate in my book.
The superior non-alcohol bubbles available today are
Thomson & Scott’s Noughty Dealcoholized Spar-
kling Chardonnay and TÖST Sparkling White Tea. Cranberry & Ginger. These are my absolute go-to choices; chilled and served to welcome everyone, especially in a cocktail with seasonal flavor notes. These bottles are irresistible and can be served proudly and gifted with confidence.
The flavors of Noughty marry with a wide range of pairing foods, from turkey and all the trimmings to pumpkin pie. It offers a bright and crisp profile to pair with the rich elements of gravy or sausage stuffing. It also has a refinement which is most welcome alongside mashed potatoes or Brussels sprouts. TÖST, found nationally and online at choiceandco. com delivers a surprisingly delicious chord of complex yet well-balanced flavors. The notes of cranberry are a wonderful way to tie the turkey and cranberry tradition together in a modern way.
For beer lovers, we just love the offerings from the Athletic Brewing Company. The Upside Dawn is crisp, delicious, and versatile. The ice-cold beverage will please even the most finicky beer drinker to accept that the non-alcohol beer world just got legit and delicious.
Try the recipes below and be sure to make a new tradition of toasting with ALL who are at our tables this year. Being together is worthy of our thanks and must be our most inclusive.
Happy Thanksgiving.
NA Sparkling Gold Rush
• 2 ounces Spiritless Kentucky 74 • 1/2 ounce Lemon Juice • 1/2 ounce honey syrup • Betty Buzz Tonic
Combine first three ingredients in shaker filled with ice. Shake for at least 10 seconds to combine. Pour into old fashion glass over ice. Fill remainder of glass with Betty Buzz Tonic, which can be purchased by visiting choiceandco. com/products/tonic-water.
NA Cider Sidecar
Serves 4 drinks
• 2 ounces Ocean Spray Cranberry Cocktail • 1 1/2 ounces Apple Cider • 1/2 ounce Lemon juice • 1 1/2 ounces Orange Juice • Töst Rosé
Sugar the rim of a champagne glass. I suggest orange colored sugar but not necessary. Combine first four ingredients in cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake to mix. Strain cocktail shaker into champagne glass about ¼ full. Top with Töst Rosé and garnish with orange peel. Get Töst Rosé by visiting choiceandco.com/products/ tost-rose.
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Adam von Gootkin
PR%F MEDALS
