Thanksgiving is a holiday we usually associate with family, friends, and feasts. Typically celebrated solely as a single night Thursday dinner, bars and restaurants everywhere are extending the holidays by offering seasonal specialties. While most places are laser-focused on catering to Halloween, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve, you can stand out by putting an extra spotlight on Thanksgiving.
A limited edition Thanksgiving drink menu can be the detail that sets you apart from your competition. Here are a few ways to celebrate Thanksgiving at your bar, with drink ideas that will give your guests a little more to be thankful for.
1. Offer Seasonal Sangria Pitchers
Sangria, the Spanish spiked punch, is a well-loved and easily shareable beverage usually served by the pitcher. The classic variety is typically made with wine (red or white), fruit juices, sliced fruit, and soda. Because of how easy it is to make large batches at a time, sangria is a great option to create and serve at your bar.
Sangria can be altered to fit whatever season that you’re celebrating and can be adjusted based on what ingredients you have access to. Utilizing common spices and fruits associated with Thanksgiving, you can develop your own Sangria recipe that customers will be sure to love. From cranberry to spiced apple cider, developing a homemade Thanksgiving themed sangria has endless possibilities. Sangria is also a great option for those in larger groups. By offering Sangria by the pitcher, guests with large parties can easily share in the fun.
2. Serve Dessert-Themed Cocktails for the Sweet Tooth-Havers
Arguably one of the best parts about the beloved holiday meal is the desserts. From pumpkin pie to apple cobbler, the desserts at Thanksgiving dinner deserve more than just an honorable mention. For those who are looking for something sweet at your bar, an array of dessert-themed cocktails is a great way to incorporate some extra Thanksgiving celebration. There is a variety of liquor that can pair perfectly with holiday classics.
For those with an extreme sweet tooth, pumpkin and apple pie martinis are a great option to add to your seasonal menu. For cocktails on the sweeter side that don’t require a sugar-rim, consider exploring smoked cocktails. A smoked sweet potato casserole-inspired drink is a fun way to translate the side-dish/dessert into liquid form. And if you still want a fun rim, a toasted marshmallow rim adds an extra touch to a unique offering. Nothing pairs better with smoke or fits the feeling of Thanksgiving quite like the warm flavor of cinnamon. A smoked fireball cocktail is a great choice that will be sure to warm up your guests.
3. Pumpkin Spice Things Up
Pumpkin spice, everyone’s favorite fall flavor, is the perfect seasonal star to highlight at your bar on and around Thanksgiving. Pumpkin spice not only works for sweet drinks, but savory too. A Thanksgiving cocktail menu can focus on pumpkin spice alone while offering significant variety.
Pumpkin spice also gives you the opportunity to play with all of the different tastes. Spicy or sweet, pumpkin spice can do it all. From bourbon to vodka, pumpkin spice compliments a variety of different spirits and pairs nicely with a variety of other fall flavors.
4. Design Savory Options as well as Non-Alcoholic
Cocktails don’t have to be sugary and sweet to stand out. For the savory cocktail seekers, Thanksgiving-inspired creativity offers up options as well. Micheladas, the Mexican drink commonly made with beer, lime juice, chili-based hot sauces, spices, and chili peppers, can have its own moment on your Thanksgiving drink menu. Highlight it by giving it a unique name like The Spicy Turquía and watch as customers gobble them back. Any classic can be reimagined by giving it a new and fun Thanksgiving-inspired name. Garnish traditional favorites with Thanksgiving herbs such as rosemary or sage to give them a bit of a seasonal twist.
While the options for Thanksgiving-themed alcoholic beverages are endless, you can also include non-alcoholic drink options as well. Anything that can be made with alcohol can also likely be made without, so try to include a variety of non-alcoholic drinks as well so that all guests, even ones who don’t drink, can also enjoy the festivities. You can even create a separate menu to focus on non-alcoholic options. Highlight the juices of the season and spices in your sober creations. A drink doesn’t need alcohol to be delicious!
5. Market Your Limited Time Offerings
If you’re planning to offer limited edition drink options or a specialty cocktail menu that will last for only a short time, make sure to market it well. You want your customers to know what you have to offer and how long you’re offering it for. Take to social media channels to design seasonal material so that you can properly highlight the temporary choices.
To engage your audience further, you can include photos, videos of the bartender making the drinks, and polls that ask which drinks guests are most looking forward to trying. Be sure to let guests know the first and last day that the Thanksgiving drink menu will be offered, and encourage them to come by and try a few before the opportunity ends.
Create flyers as well to post up around the restaurant so that current customers can know what to come back for. Design and decorate the flyers accordingly with Thanksgiving-focused images and art so that the theme is easily communicated and noted.
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