There’s only so many unfamiliar balloon cartoons a person can take before thoughts begin to cross your mind: What if they pop? How many times do they actually do that dance? Who’s that person singing on the float? What are in those newscasters’ mugs? Oh, I need a cocktail. A Thanksgiving cocktail, thought-out and planned and written on a list somewhere just like everything else on this great, Type A holiday.
And what do we have here, a recipe from Bon Appétit’s own Chris Morocco, created just for the occasion. Apple Cider and Rum Punch—punch bowl optional. In order to write this piece of journalism-on-ice, I tested it this weekend for a bunch* of dudes who invaded my space to watch Michigan football.
*Two, and we drank punch for eight. Awesome.
Here’s how it plays.
Dust off the cocktail pitcher you usually use for big batch martinis. Get out the trusty Pyrex liquid measure. Dump a cup of (aged) rum in, and then a cup of sweet vermouth. Then squeeze a half cup of lemon juice into the liquid measure (give yourself a chance to get stray seeds out!), which is about two lemons. Top it off with four dashes of bitters.
Now, if you’re making this ahead of time, you can stash that mixture in the fridge for later. If you’re making it live and in the moment, add two cups of ice and stir until it’s pretty much melted. Or stand there and let it melt while you slice half an apple into pretty thin slices. And three orange peels. Toss those in, and stir while you contemplate the meaning of Thanksgiving. Do I love my family as much as I love the sound of this clinking ice? You’ll wonder. Let the moment pass.
Finally, it’s hard cider time. Top the pitcher off with a 12 ounce bottle of hard cider and pour yourself a taste of the cocktail. If it’s too sour or generally “meh,” add some simple syrup (the recipe calls for a ¼ cup) and sweeten to taste. Hard cider these days can range from sweet apple juice for grown-ups to funky, Basque cider that mimics a natural wine. Whatever direction you choose, this drink can veer sweet if you want it to, or not if you don’t.
Fill your guests’ glasses with ice and an apple slice garnish, and pour the fizzy punch on top. This is the how you pregame Thanksgiving–just ask those rosy-cheeked parade announcers.
Get the recipe:
Some more big-batch cocktails we love:
