7 Big-Batch Cocktails to Get Your Family Drunk on Thanksgiving

It's my favorite time of year! Yes, it's holiday season but it's also the time of year to unknowingly get your family and friends drunk! We've divided our list of big-batch options into seven main alcohol food groups in order to include something for everyone. 

VODKA

Blueberry Lemonade Vodka Spritzer

Ingredients:

• 3½  cups of lemonade
• 2 cups blueberry-flavored vodka
• 1 cup soda water
• 3 cups of ice
• 3 tbs. sugar (to taste)
• 2 cups of fresh blueberries
• Lemon slices and fresh mint to garnish

Instructions:

1. Mix blueberries and sugar in a large container and lightly muddle the berries, keeping most of them whole.
2. Add ice, lemonade, vodka, and soda water and stir gently.
3. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh mint.

Note: You may add more lemonade, vodka, or soda to suit your taste.

RUM

Gingerbread Egg Nog

Ingredients:

• 8 eggs, yolks and white separated
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 cups whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups dark rum
• 1/2 cup ginger liqueur
• 8 gingersnap cookies, finely ground 

Instructions:

1. Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk on low speed until frothy, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until they are about the consistency of shaving cream, about 90 seconds. Reduce speed to medium. With mixer running, add half of sugar and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Transfer whites to a large bowl. Do not wash bowl.
2. Add egg yolks and remaining sugar to now-empty stand mixer bowl and beat at medium-high speed until pale yellow and ribbony.
3. Add milk, cream, rum, and ginger liqueur and mix on low speed to combine.
4. Using a rubber spatula or handheld whisk, fold the whipped whites into the egg yolk/milk mixture until completely incorporated.
5. Place ground ginger snaps in a shallow pie plate. Drip rim of each glass into eggnog and press into ground ginger cookies.
6. Pour eggnog into glass, dust with more ground gingersnaps, and serve.

WHISKEY

Sparkling Bourbon Lemonade Punch

Ingredients:

• 6 shots bourbon
• 2 shots St. Germain
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4 large lemons)
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (1 large orange)
• 4 cups club soda, chilled
• Lemon slices (about 4 large lemons)
• Orange slices (1 large orange)
• 1 bunch fresh mint sprigs, plus more for garnish
• Crushed ice

Instructions:

1. Combine 1 1/2 cups water and sugar in a small saucepan over high heat. Cook until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Cool the simply syrup completely. This simple syrup can be made 1 week in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.
2. Combine the St. Germain, simple syrup, lemon juice and orange juice in a pitcher. Mix in the club soda. Add the lemon slices, orange slices and mint.
3. Fill glasses with crushed ice.
4. Add 1 shot bourbon to each glass and fill to the top with the sparkling lemonade. Garnish each glass with mint.

TEQUILA

Knock Me Out Punch

Ingredients:

• 2 cups white tequila
• 2 cups cranberry juice
• 2 cups grapefruit juice
• 2 cups orange juice
• 8 orange slices
• ice, for serving

Instructions:

1. Combine all of the liquid ingredients in a pitcher.
2. Garnish with the orange slices and serve over ice.

GIN

The Collins Punch

Ingredients:

• 7 1/2 oz. gin
• 3 3/4 oz. lemon juice
• 3 oz. simple syrup
• 5 oz. Earl Grey Tea
• 5 oz. club soda

Instructions:

1. Build with ice in punch bowl and stir.

 

WINE

Apple Cider Sangria

Ingredients:

• 1 green apple, cored and sliced
• 1 red apple, cored and sliced
• 1 orange, seeded and sliced
• 1 large bottle of ginger beer
• 1 bottle of prosecco
• 1 bottle of apple cider (add to taste, ~4-5 cups)
• A few shots of vodka (optional)

Instructions:

1. Slice apples and oranges and place into a large pitcher or punch bowl.
2. Add ginger beer, apple cider, and sparkling white wine. A few shots of vodka can also kick it up a notch!

BEER

Grapefruit Beer Punch

Ingredients:

• 4 cups gin 
• 2 cups fresh grapefruit juice (about 4 large grapefruits)
• 5 cups India Pale Ale, chilled

Instructions:

1. Combine the gin and grapefruit juice in a large pitcher.
2. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
3. Add the IPA just before serving and ladle into ice-filled punch.

These big-batch cocktails are sure to be crowd-pleasers! Don't forget to make up the extra bedroom for overnight guests, just in case someone has their fare share of fun on Thanksgiving night. Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving!

DC "DCocktail" Series: The Gibson, 2016 Fall/Winter Menu

We recently returned to our favorite D.C. speakeasy for the debut of their Fall/Winter cocktail menu. If you can recall, we were just there this Spring for the unveiling of cocktails like 'B2 H M2' (‘Bitch Betta Have My Money’) and 'A Letter from the ABM to the GOP'. Head mixologist, Frankie Jones, is back at it this season basing his cocktails on Beyonce’s latest #1 album, Lemonade. With cocktails like 'Growing Pains' and 'F…da Pain Away', you can see the correlation between the album and The Gibson crew’s take on relationship issues in a glass.

Favorites

F…da Pain Away: Feel free to fill in the blank but the gist of this drink is that “you need pleasure to get over the pain," according to Frank. This drink is definitely one you sip, with Laphroaig 10 Year scotch and chocolate bitters allowing for a smooth and pleasurable cocktail experience. It was one of my favorites, and of course the provocative name is a plus. 

Ingredients: Laphroaig 10 yr, Vanilla Liqueur, Carpano Antica, Chocolate Bitters, Decanter Bitters

The Cat’s Meow: This champagne cocktail is named after the ridiculous things bartender Jake Hall says (He sounds like my kind of bartender). If you’re a fan of the bubbly, this cocktail is for you. The Bordeaux they use adds a great flavor profile and the rum rounds it all out; it’s the cat’s meow.

Ingredients: Red Wine, Cruzan Black Strap Rum, Vanilla, Lime, Champagne

Stand outs

Company of Strangers: Warning! This cocktail contains hell fire bitters. If you can stand the heat go for it; if not, you should try it anyway just to say you did. This cocktail was described as a nod to meeting new people and building new relationships. The mezcal gives it a smoky finish, along with flavors of herbal honey and spice your throat will definitely sense compliments of the hell fire bitters.

Ingredients: Vida Mezcal, Dolin Blanc, White Cacao, Benedictine, Orange Bitters, Hell Fire Bitters, Old Fashioned Bitters

The new menu has officially launched and the awesome folks at The Gibson will be keeping the patio open, heat included. Along with the seasonal menu, patrons get the chance to create their own cocktails with their “Omakase” menu (Omakase means ‘I’ll leave it up to you’ in Japanese). You pick base liquor, the flavor profile, and the type of drink, and see what happens!

The Gibson is located at 2009 14th St. NW, 20009 and opens daily at 6 pm. For more information on their cocktails and more please visit thegibsondc.com.

- Nyasha Chikowore

Photo Credit: Farrah Skeiky