What would Thanksgiving be without a festive libation? In many households, the answer to the question of what beverage goes best with turkey and all the trimmings is answered by wine (red for the dark meat, white for the white) or beer. Those fallbacks are perfectly OK, but why not choose something tailor-made for the holiday?
Many breweries offer pumpkin blends at this time of year. These tend to be heavy on spices like cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and allspice, but if that presents no problem, the best of the pumpkin beers we have come across is actually a cider, but good for that. It is the pumpkin cider made by Downeast, a Boston-based outfit, and it complements both the savory and sweet aspects of the Thanksgiving meal.
A similar theme is sounded in pumpkin wine. Again, there are several on the market, though our preference is for Three Lakes Winery’s pumpkin wine, which is actually made with pie pumpkins. The resulting elixir is semi-sweet and pleasing on the palate. Three Lakes also makes a cranberry blend.
If you were planning to go non-alcoholic and specifically to serve Jones Sodas’ Thanksgiving Dinner collection, some good news and some bad news. The bad news (or is it the good news?) is that the manufacturer seems to have discontinued production of the line, which includes Turkey & Gravy Soda, Mashed Potato & Butter Soda, Cranberry Soda, and even Green Bean Casserole Soda. If you actually tasted and enjoyed these soft drinks, the other good news is that some retail outlets online appear to carry vintage bottles of the stuff. It’s hard to imagine why anyone with his natural teeth would prefer to drink, rather than chew, Thanksgiving dinner, but to each his own.
