What’s the only way to make Thanksgiving better? Add more Booze! Lucky for you, the Cocktail Bandits and I have teamed up to make your boozy Thanksgiving dreams come true. We combined their extensive cocktail knowledge with my willingness to put booze in pretty much any food item to create a drool-worthy Friendsgiving feast that is guaranteed to impress (and make everyone a little buzzed). I had a blast coming up with these recipes and eating/drinking the results at an impromptu Friendsgiving with the Cocktail Bandits! Hope y’all enjoy these recipes as much as I did!
The First Course: Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Amaro Vinaigrette Paired with a “Bi-Coastal” Amaro Cocktail
For the first course, we wanted to start with something light because you usually drink amaro to spark the appetite. This was my first time making a boozy salad dressing and I have to say, it made salad a lot more enjoyable. The Amaro adds a complex flavor, being slightly bitter with hints of warm spices.
What you need:
For the salad:
- 4 cups spring mix
- 1 butternut squash, diced
- Season with 1 Tablespoon salt and pepper and 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup roasted and salted pumpkin seeds
For the dressing:
- 1.5 tablespoons Montenegro Amaro
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ teaspoons honey
For my recipes, I like to make a couple of ingredients stand out and then make the rest of the ingredients complement them. In this case, the dressing and the butternut squash are the stand out ingredients. Roast the diced butternut squash at 400 F for 25-30 minutes. Once the squash is cool, assemble the salad and drizzle on the dressing. That’s right, it’s that simple!
The Second Course: Stuffing Waffle with Boozy Cranberry Sauce with a gin and ginger cocktail
I have to admit, I’m a big fan of the cranberry sauce that comes in the can, so I needed some help when coming up with a cranberry sauce from scratch. The recipe I used is adapted from Recipe Runner and I put my own Charleston twist on it by using a local honey whiskey from Holy City Distillery (and adding more of it). The Stuffing Waffle comes from my days of writing from Spoon University in college and I wanted to transform Thanksgiving leftovers using only a waffle maker. The Stuffing Waffle was a huge success, so I figured I would bring it back.
What you need:
- 1 lb cranberries
- ⅓ cup Holy City Distillery honey whiskey
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- Leftover stuffing
How to make it:
To make the cranberry sauce, bring the whiskey, maple syrup, sugar, orange juice and zest, and 2 cinnamon sticks to a boil. Boil this mixture for 2 minutes and then add in the cranberries. Simmer the mixture over medium heat for 12-15 minutes until the cranberries break down.
For the waffles:
Plug in your waffle maker and let it heat up. Take your leftover, cooled stuffing and crush it up with your hands and make a “patty” that’s about an inch smaller than the waffle maker. Let the waffle maker do its thing until the stuffing is crispy on the outside. Lift it out carefully and boom, you have stuffing waffles.
To assemble, put a few slices of leftover turkey on the waffles and spoon on a dollop of cranberry sauce. Garnish with parsley for some color. These waffles are great because everyone gets the same portion, so you won’t have any stuffing hogs on your hands.
Dessert: Boozy Chocolate Trifle
Boozy Chocolate Trifle has been a staple in my family for years, so I knew I had to feature it for this collab. I already have the recipe on the blog, but this time I tweaked it slightly by soaking the cake in an equal mixture of Kahlua and local cream bourbon. Also, to make it look fancier than normal in the trifle dish, I plated it in individual wine glasses. Note that it does take more time, but it makes for a stunning presentation.
Each of these courses was paired with a craft cocktail from the Cocktail Bandits, using the same liquors I used in the dishes. For more info on the cocktails, head to their blog! I had a blast working with them and we hope you bring a little more booze to your Thanksgiving!
