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What to Drink at Thanksgiving
& Christmas
By Ian Richards
As Christmas is coming, with the inevitability of
a credit card bill, there is a whole load of things
to worry about. Christmas present buying, a possibly
expensive and traumatic period, followed by the Christmas
card list, the decorations, the food, yes, all that
food and possibly the last on the list, the Christmas
drinks. Christmas drinks are possibly the least thought
about but are the subtle catalyst that can turn an
ordinary Christmas into a great one.
Yes, you can go with all your normal standbys but
Christmas is special and so should be your Christmas
drinks. Although this is primarily directed at Christmas,
it will work just as well for a traditional Thanksgiving
meal as well.
To start with, there are many traditional Christmas
drinks like Egg Nog and mulled ale, in fact my father
used to put his beer into a pewter tankard, heat a
couple of pokers in the fire, then plunge them into
the tankard. This should only be attempted with metal
drinks containers, I have a vague recollection of
him trying it with glass and making a mess on the
floor when it broke, also I do not think it works
with lager or other blond beers, a good bitter, brown
ale or porter should be robust enough to take that
sort of treatment. Possibly the most traditional of
all Christmas drinks is mulled wine, know in Germany
and probably around the world as Gluhwein, this is
a warm infusion of red wine, lemons, cloves, cinnamon
and sugar. This traditional Christmas drink has a
whole host of modifications, not only in the different
regions of Germany but around the European continent.
To the basic ingredients can be added rum, brandy,
Calvados even, I have heard, vodka which would add
a kick, but not much taste. Another popular ingredient
is the orange, either as slices or zest but I think
you could add any citrus fruit that you prefer. Please
do not forget to wash thoroughly and. if possible,
get the unwaxed variety of fruits. Another variation
worth considering is the addition of juices, orange
or apple are best or cordials, elder flower is quite
refreshing, or even herbal teas. Any of these will
make a different and interesting drink for Christmas
that, if you remember to make a note of how you have
made it, could become your signature Christmas drink
that everybody looks forward to.
Another good starter is, of course, Champagne, it
is a very sophisticated way to kick your party off.
Nowadays there are a lot of sparkling wines that can
compete with the original Champagne, in England there
are many Champagnes available via the supermarkets
that are extremely good at very competitive prices,
there are also a number of good English sparkling
wines made in the champagne method that are very good
as well. In fact, global warming has led to a number
of French Champagne producers buying land in the South
of England and planting vines. A good idea to make
your Champagne go further is to offer a Bucks Fizz
which is Champagne and orange juice or for a bit more
sofistication, why not try a Kir Royale made from
Champagne with a dash of Creme de Cassis, a blackberry
liqueur When it comes to the Christmas meal there
are a whole range of drinks, from the appetizer to
the digestive to think about, if you want a truly
memorable day. If you are on a strict budget, you
can decide what to drink to meet your pocket, so if
an appetiser is more important, drop the digestif
or vice versa. When you are serving Christmas lunch,
a Sherry is a grand way to kick things off but you
have to think of your guests palates. A good bottle
of fino and oloroso will cater to the dry and sweet
taste with excellent examples coming from Domeque
or Harveys although there are a wide range of excellent
sherries around, even if your budget is tight. If
you can only pick one type, then go for either a medium
sweet or medium dry type.
A wine to accompany the main dish is purely a matter
of taste, much is talked about the merits of red wine
with red meat and white wine with fish or chicken
but at the end of the day it really ought to be what
you prefer, just because the gourmands try to intimidate
you with their knowledge, you don't need to buy into
that, have a bottle of red and a bottle of white and
let your guests decide what they want to drink, it
is Christmas after all, not a society luncheon. That
said, a little direction will not go amiss when it
comes to choosing a wine for a special occasion. Certainly
beef, turkey, particularly the dark meat, duck or
goose will suit a good red wine. A Bordeaux, perhaps
a St Emillion or Fronsac will not break the bank,
there are a lot more expensive wines in this region,
but if you can afford them you should visit a fine
wine shop with knowledgeable staff who will give you
very good advice on the wines available. You could
also try a Rioja from Spain, a Montepulciano from
Italy or any of the Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Merlot
or even, my favourite Malbec that are available from
vineyards around the world, particularly Argentina.
I must confess that my own particular favourite area
is Cahors in France, they produce some big bold wines
with lots of body. If you are having a large number
of people to dinner, you could buy your wine in a
box, it is still very good quality and you don't have
to pull all those corks, just serve it in a decanter
or a good jug. Serving any red wine this way is better
as it lets the wine breathe, rather than just pulling
the cork out of the bottle an hour or two before serving,
if you think it can get to breathe through that tiny
neck, try to breathe through a straw and you will
get the idea.
For a white wine the standby is a good Chardonnay
although you should be aware that some of the heavy
oak overtones may be too much for a white meat such
as chicken or fish. You may wish to investigate a
French wine like a white Burgundy, or if you like
very dry wine, a Sancerre from the Loire Valley. Others
to consider are Pinot Grigot a grape associated with
Italy but is grown around the world or a good German
Reisling or Hock, Bordeaux has good white wines like
Entre Deux Mers but you should ask your local wine
merchant or the wine manager in your local supermarket
for ideas. Some people will compromise and go for
a Rose wine and there are a number of acceptable wines
in this category, Mateus Rose is probably the best
known, but Rose D'Anjou from France is very good and
there are remarkable rose wines from California, Australia
and other parts of the world.
If you are really pushing the boat out, you will
want a wine for dessert and for a cheese course. The
dessert course is ruled by Sauterne, an expensive
wine whose king is Chateau d'Yquem at a price that
Bill Gates may blink at. There are other Sauternes,
less expensive but a more economical option could
be a Malbec, from the same area, still very acceptable.
You may also consider a Muscadet from either France
or Spain.
For a cheese course. the classic wine accompaniment
is Port, although a red or even certain white wines
are acceptable, depending on the cheeses served. Ports
come in several different qualities, white should
be avoided as this is more an appetizer, but the rest
is a matter of taste and budget.
At the end of the day this is going to be an enjoyable
time and providing there are not any glaring errors
people will enjoy whatever you serve because this
is a time of sharing and goodwill to all.
One final tip, a drink that is really hot right now
is Perry, it is like Cider but is made from special
pears it is going to be really big in 2007 so get
in first, if you can find some.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ian Richards webmaster of yourpower2be.com the on
line women’s’ resource centre that is the
first place to visit, you will find beauty tips, health
information, shopping to die for, make up, holidays
and travel, recipes, information on pets and gardening,
weddings, and a whole lot more. http://www.yourpower2be.com
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