8-2-Eat: Thanksgiving Cocktails

8-2-Eat is my food-focused list series. A perfect Friday distraction. A Thanksgiving dinner party is just like any other dinner party in that hosts face the same problem of what to do with the guests that are arriving while you're hustling to finish the meal. And just like any other dinner party, the best solution is to distract them with a cocktail. Here are eight suggestions.

A Sage Old Bourbon.  This year's Thanksgiving cocktail, which I posted yesterday, is a bourbon-sherry drink enhanced with the seasonal flavors of sage, celery, cranberry and maple.

Smoky Vanilla Bowery. A rye and Aperol cocktail with vanilla syrup and just a touch of smoky Scotch that nods New York's East Village cocktail scene.

Medicine Man. Rum, sage, maple and smoked paprika make this a winning drink, adapted a recipe from the San Francisco bar Bourbon and Branch.

Ginger Loves Apples and Whiskey. The names tells you all you need to know about this drink, a spicy-sweet combination of bourbon, apple brandy and ginger beer with a tart lemon kick.

(Wild) Turkey with Cranberry. Inspired by the traditional Thanksgiving centerpiece, this drink combines Wild Turkey rye whiskey with tangy-bitter Aperol, ginger liqueur and cranberry bitters.

Hot Butternut Rum. As the name implies, this rum and ginger drink is, in fact, flavored with butternut squash. It's heat comes not from warmth (it's on the rocks) but from a couple hits of chipotle hot sauce.

Gingered Apple Sparkler. Want a cocktail with a less alcohol? This spicy vodka and apple sipper mixed with ginger beer would make a nice punch.

Dallas Drinks: The Bobby. Although invented for my Dallas Drinks series, this apple-pie-inspired dessert cocktail mixes bourbon, apple brandy, ginger liqueur, cream and homemade vanilla-cinnamon syrup.

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Thanksgiving Central