DC Brewery Tour

Thanksgiving is all about tradition, and my family’s tradition is to drink, eat, and play scrabble to celebrate the holiday. Well I can’t stand Scrabble, so I do most of the cooking and drinking. Every year we like to try a new cocktail while we are preparing dinner. I reached out to our favorite mixologist Jeff Faile of Fiola for a special Thanksgiving cocktail. He suggested a seasonal concoction of apples, cinnamon, and ginger. So last night I dumped out the contents of my sugar jar and started infusing Old Overholt Whiskey with apples & cinnamon. I love infused Whiskey’s and I am sure that the cocktail will be a huge hit.

We can’t just drink liquor on Thanksgiving so I swung by Port City Brewery last night to pick up a growler of Port City Porter. If you’re heading out of town stop by Port City Brewery tonight or one of the 180 local retailers (Arrowine, Whole Foods, Adega Wine Cellars, Total Wine, etc.) that carry their beers and show up at Thanksgiving with some local beer in hand. Their beers are well balanced and very easy to drink. I haven’t tried one of their brews that I haven’t liked. Port City is offering tours “Beer Friday” and throughout the weekend. It is probably the best entertainment you can get in the D.C. Area for $5.

When it comes to wine for Thanksgiving I would suggest something lighter. A rose, a sparkling white such as Cava or Prosecco, a grenache and/or a Pinot Noir. If you’re having a fancy Thanksgiving try adding a little St. Germain Liqueur to your guest’s sparkling wine for something different. I’m going to head to my favorite local wine shop and put myself in their hands this afternoon. I’ll tweet my selections, so make sure to follow @eatdrinkmore on Twitter.

1.5 oz of apple/cinnamon rye whiskey

1 oz lemon juice

.5 oz Domaine de Canton

.5 oz honey syrup

For rye infusion, take 3 honeycrisp (or any apple for that matter) and quarter them (removing core, stems, etc) and 4 to 5 sticks of cinnamon and place in a glass jar. Add a 750 ml bottle of rye whiskey (Old Overholt works great), and let sit for a couple of days.

For the honey syrup, add equal parts clover honey and hot water and stir until honey is dissolved. The water I use is usually around 200 degrees.

Garnish with apple slices.