Cranberry Sauced: Pairing Booze and Berries for Thanksgiving

Cranberry sauce, whether homemade or canned, is an absolute must on many people’s Thanksgiving menu. There are also lots of folks who rely on alcohol to help get them through the holiday (whether because they have to endure Uncle Jerry’s political rants at the table or are simply harried from the stress of traveling). If you fall into both camps—or if you just enjoy a little seasonal nip during fall festivities in general—consider pairing your cranberries with booze.

Adding a little liquor to home-cooked cranberry sauce is nothing new, but it is delicious, whatever kind of alcohol you opt for, from the classic port to more unconventional beer (in which case you get to call it cranbeery sauce, a clear advantage if you adore puns). Taking the opposite tack and adding cranberry sauce to your cocktail is also a great move, although the more well-known route is adding cranberry juice.

Cosmopolitans are probably the most famous (or infamous) example, but an earlier iteration comprised solely of cranberry juice and vodka was the Red Devil, concocted by Ocean Spray in 1945 to promote their tart red nectar to a wider market, and one that could make use of their product all year round. The name of the drink eventually changed to The Cape Codder, probably because Cape Cod dominated the cranberry trade in the 1960s. There are lots of other variations on the basic drink, but the Cosmo didn’t come along with its Cointreau and lime juice additions until the late 1980s, and wasn’t so maligned until “Sex and the City” boosted its popularity into the stratosphere. The resulting backlash against the Cosmo helped kick off the craft cocktail revival.

Of course, cranberries were probably enjoyed in liquid form much farther back. Like pumpkins and squash, cranberries are a New World crop, and were introduced to colonial settlers by Native Americans, who not only ate cranberries, but used the fruit’s juice as a dye and medicinal poultice. The colonists began consuming cranberries too, and most likely made their own booze from them. They were a resourceful bunch, after all, as this poem from the 1630s attests:

“If barley be wanting to make into malt,
We must be content and think it no fault.
For we can make liquor to sweeten our lips,
Of pumpkins, and parsnips, and walnut-tree chips.”

If you’re so inclined, you can make your own cranberry wine or cranberry liqueur at home today, but it takes a lot more time than whipping up a boozy batch of cranberry sauce (let alone just opening a can or using fresh, raw cranberries straight from the bag).

Speaking of bags of fresh cranberries, since they’re everywhere this time of year, and often on sale, why not stock up and store them in the freezer for whenever you next want them? There are lots of great things to make with them other than cranberry sauce, and of course they can be incorporated into drinks in their fresh form, simply muddled into cocktails, or perhaps turned into a sour shrub.

If you go the cooked route, though, leftover cranberry sauce (boozy or sober) is not only great stirred into a cocktail, but makes a great compote for day-after-Thanksgiving pancakes or waffles, and can be served over ice cream or baked into breads and crumbles if you’ve got enough.

There’s also the option of going way heavier on the booze and taking part in the grand tradition of brandied fruit—turns out, brandied cranberries make a tasty preserve too.

Canned cranberry sauce can certainly be muddled into cocktails (not to mention made into gummy candy), but even if you’re a diehard jellied-sauce lover, homemade cranberry sauce tends to be a more interesting choice for making drinks and desserts, in both texture and taste.

Here are some recipes to get you started on your booze and cranberry pairing adventures:

Drunken Cranberry Sauce

The Speckled Palate

You can put pretty much any kind of alcohol in your cranberry sauce (port is a classic, but Cognac is also good, and even beer will work), but this one features spiced rum, along with fresh orange juice and brown sugar. If you’re worried about serving it to the kids, open up a can for them. Get the recipe.

Boozy Jellied Cranberry Sauce

Saving Dessert

If you’re a fan of the can, you can still achieve smooth, jiggly texture at home, and in this case, you can have ruby Port and Grand Marnier too. Ginger and rosemary infuse extra flavor into these beautiful jellied cranberry molds. Get the recipe.

Cranberry Sauce Frozen Cosmo

Tasting Table

A slushy twist on the classic, this frozen Cosmopolitan uses cranberry sauce for a much more interesting flavor than cranberry juice could impart—and if your sauce already has booze in it, even better. Take note: these can easily be scaled up for brunch. Get the recipe.

Cranberry Sauce Bourbon Cocktail

Nerds With Knives

You can experiment with cranberries and cranberry sauce in all sorts of cocktails (like mojitos and thyme gin and tonics), but it’s a no-brainer with bourbon, which seems particularly suited to the cooler months. Ginger beer and lemon juice add extra kick to this simple, seasonal cocktail. Get the recipe.

Cranberry Orange Slow Cooker Mulled Wine

Kitchen Treaty

If you’re more of a wine drinker, this slow cooker mulled wine with cranberries, cinnamon, cloves, brandy, and orange is a fantastic libation for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and pretty much all of fall and winter in general. Get the recipe.

Boozy Sparkling Cranberries

Bake Love Give

These sweet-tart little gems soaked in maple-finished whiskey and rolled in sparkling sugar would be great set out as cocktail nibbles or included on a cheese plate, but also mighty impressive spilling out of this stunner of a cake. Naturally, they’d make a great garnish for any cranberry cocktails too, and you could always try soaking them in whatever liquor you like best. Get the recipe.

Cranberry Sauce Bundt Cake

Rotin Rice

For something a bit simpler, try this leftover cranberry sauce Greek yogurt coffee cake, but if you’re looking for a dessert that can carry you through the whole holiday season, this cranberry sauce bundt cake will do wonderfully—and using a booze-infused cranberry sauce for the ruby ribbon in the middle is totally optional (but if you do, consider adding a splash to the icing too). Get the recipe.

Red Wine Brownies with Drunken Cranberries

Cookie Named Desire

If you’re in need of dessert ASAP, these brownies combine boxed mix and leftover cranberry sauce, but the recipe featured here uses dried cranberries soaked in red wine, mixed into a rich, fudgy, homemade batter. Get the recipe.

No-Churn Cranberry Cointreau Coconut Ice Cream

Vegan Yack Attack

Ice cream isn’t just for summer. This seasonal variation adds a tart cranberry-Cointreau swirl and candied pistachios. Bonus: the coconut milk base requires no ice cream machine, and it’s vegan. Get the recipe.

Ginger Cranberry Sauce Bread

Not Just Baked

For a quick bread with great fall flavor, try this ginger cranberry sauce loaf. Perfect with a warming mug of coffee or tea in the mornings (and mid-afternoons). Get the recipe.

Baked Brie with Rum Soaked Fig Cranberry Sauce

Pass The Sushi

This whole-berry cranberry sauce includes ripe figs and rum and is made in the slow cooker. It makes a great side dish on its own, but served over a nutty, creamy wheel of baked brie, it’s a particular amazing appetizer for all your holiday parties. Get the recipe.

Make your delicious creations stand out with this beautiful platter.

Related video: How to Serve Cranberry Sauce

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Thanksgiving Advice from Etiquette Experts

Every Thanksgiving we encounter the same pesky issues. We loathe guests who barge into the kitchen, disrupting our roasting and baking. We fear over-cooked turkey and burnt yams. Plus there’s that meddling uncle who asks for leftover pumpkin pie before dinner has even begun. Alas, the biggest food holiday of the year is often the most stressful.

In order to help you survive the big day, we reached out to several etiquette experts. In the video above we chatted with Myka Meier, founder of Beaumont Etiquette and The Plaza Hotel Finishing Program, and got the scoop on how to deal with all these holiday challenges and many more.

We also compiled some of the best Thanksgiving tips from, Helena Echlin, Chowhound’s former etiquette writer. She wrote the column Table Manners for six years. Here’s her best advice on how to survive Thanksgiving, all in one place. So if you need help appeasing your vegetarian friends, dealing with your snobby cousins, or attending multiple feasts on the same day, you’ve come to the right place.  Check out all of her advice below.

Cocktail Napkins - $9.99

For your very messy guests

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How to Host a Turkey-Free Thanksgiving
If you’re a vegetarian, how do you successfully throw Thanksgiving without a turkey?

Thanksgiving-Hopping
You’ve got multiple Thanksgiving dinner invites. Is there a way to hit all the meals without offending?

Greedy Gobbler
Are guests entitled to leftovers (which are, after all, the best part of Thanksgiving)?

What If You Ruin the Turkey?
Quick! Order pizza! (And other ways to salvage your party.)

Meddling Mother-in-Law
Your mother-in-law knows exactly how the gravy should be done. Yeah, right. Here are ways to get her out of the kitchen.

Thanksgiving Turkey Snob Dilemma
Is it wrong to suggest that your host buy a politically correct bird?

Here’s hoping these tips serve you well come the holiday weekend!

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Keeping It Real: How Far Should You Go to Accommodate Thanksgiving Guests?

I hit snooze on my phone this morning, half dreaming of auburn leaves falling to the sidewalk. Somewhere along the way — and I’m not quite sure when it happened — fall arrived. We’re currently in the golden era, where the light is all honey sugar and the air is all bourbon maple.

And of course, with the bounty of fall comes the promise of Thanksgiving. Cue the sweatpants, 1950s flannel, screeching family members, never ending to-do lists, and epic pumpkin pie.

From my POV, Thanksgiving — like handwriting or musical preferences — is an indicator of personality. I’ve gone to bougie celebrations with beautiful lace tablecloths and perfectly tasteless sugar cookies and I’ve cooked for twelve people with my mom, dancing around in a kimono to Frank Sinatra and basting the hell out of the turkey, as friends and lovers come through the door, chatting about recent trips to Africa and nudist beaches.

What point am I making with these descriptions? This: Each celebration is a marker of a house, a home, a way of entertaining, and savoring the holiday.

The nuance of a perfect Thanksgiving is creating a personalized vibe and menu while also accommodating the guests who are sharing the moment. And this, of course, leads us down the rabbit hole of dietary preferences.

Now I grew up in a house where dietary preferences were not considered. My parents used to lie to my sisters’ friends, citing that they were eating chicken when they were really enjoying rabbit, and if I didn’t want that eggplant Parmigiana at 10 years old, well, that was dinner. The kitchen was closed.

This wasn’t cruel but educational; it pushed me to explore my own palate and to engage with foods, smells, and recipes I wouldn’t have enjoyed otherwise.

As far as planning your Thanksgiving menu goes, I would take ownership of the dishes while leaving room for inclusivity. You’re the chef, the visionary, the creator of the adventure. The evening is the product of your boldness and thoughtfulness. It’s exciting to your guests to see your tastes and imagination come to life through a delicious meal. But, it’s also cool to incorporate some of their desires.

Let’s say your Thanksgiving meal will be a mixture of generations, backgrounds, and diets. You’re cooking for 12, and in the mix we have grandma (she’s picky), grandpa (he’s a meat lover), mom (she’s experimenting with veganism), dad (he’s a purist), sister (she’s obsessed with India after a recent trip), brother (he loves a stiff drink), sister-in-law (she recently took a cooking class and fancies herself to be Julia Child), and four friends from high school and college (they are all vivacious, hungover, psyched about turkey, and wondering if they can borrow a sweater from your closet).

In this situation we do not send an email opening up the floodgates of conversation. We don’t say, “Hey guys, what are we thinking we might like to eat this year?” No. You own the menu but you incorporate these subtle shifts in character into your meal. You lean in just like Sheryl Sandberg said to do, and crank it with a delicious feast.

For the experimental vegans, do a Kale-Apple Coleslaw with Poppy Seed Dressing.

Chowhound

Coleslaw. It’s classic, it’s comforting, and it’s beckoning you forward with its sultry tang. Enjoy the unbearable lightness of being (near) this dish. With kale, honey, poppy seeds, dijon, and red onion, it’ll set your night off with a bang. Get our Kale-Apple Coleslaw with Poppy Seed Dressing recipe.

For the world travelers, make Curried Carrot Soup.

Throw sis a curve ball with a New Wave carrot soup. With curry, coconut, garlic, and carrots, it’s a nod to the adventures abroad which made your family complete. Get our Curried Carrot Soup recipe.

For the meat lovers, smoke a beautiful turkey.

Chowhound

Light er’ up with a gorgeous smoked turkey. Cooking that bird on the grill with a bourbon cocktail is not to be underestimated, not to mention that the smoke smells delish in your flannel after hours. Get our Smoked Turkey recipe.

Smokey Mountain Cooker 18-Inch Charcoal Smoker - $299

For all your turkey smoking needs

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For the cocktailers, mix up some Spiked Wassail and Prosecco Negronis.

Chowhound

Chowhound

Let’s be real: If we’re going to talk politics, then the booze better be flowing. For one part style and one part substance, go with slow cooker wassail punch and Prosecco Negronis. So good that even Uncle Larry will forget he’s a Trump supporter. Get our Spiked Wassail recipe and our Prosecco Negronis recipe.

And for the whole crew, do a dank pumpkin pie.

Chowhound

You’re loving the crew and they’re loving this pie. Close out your perfect Thanksgiving with this crowd pleaser. Best served with friends, recollections of high school shenanigans, and plans for post-din coffee and knit sweaters. Get our Perfect Pumpkin Pie recipe.

Related Video: Thanksgiving Turkey Cake

— Head Image: Crave Du Jour.

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What’s the Difference Between Green Ripe Olives and Black Ripe Olives?

Green ripe olives versus black ripe olives! Do you know the difference? Here's a peek at how California Ripe Olives are harvested and processed!

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Baked Brie with Olive Tapenade

Warm, gooey baked brie topped with an easy olive tapenade made with California Ripe Olives makes for one show-stopping party appetizer!

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The Ultimate Friendsgiving Timeline

Sheet Pan Hawaiian Chicken

Sheet pan dinners are lifesavers for busy humans, and this Sheet Pan Hawaiian Chicken is no exception. Combine chicken, peppers, and pineapple, bake, add a soy-ginger sauce, and serve. Boom! Dinner is done.

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Easy Ways to Make Your Space Cozier for Hosting Friendsgiving

So, you’ve agreed to host Friendsgiving! It should be both an honor and a pleasure, but it’s normal to be at least a little nervous, even if you’re also excited. Luckily, there are lots of easy things you can do to make your home as inviting as possible, so all your guests will be extra-glad to be there. From the major tasks to the minor touches, here are ways to make your space cozier and your guests as happy as possible.

Clean and declutter. Cleaning up any serious grime is obviously a must—and your top priority—but decluttering can be just as important; it makes your space look instantly classier and more inviting. That’s not to say you need to hide everything extraneous. Keep out your coffee table books and your beloved knickknacks that give your place your own personal touch, but stash all the stuff like old magazines, mail, random pairs of shoes and sweaters, rolled-up yoga mats, and half-finished projects in a closet somewhere, or at least shove them out of sight beneath your bed.

World Market

Set up some mood lighting. Candles and warm white fairy lights can lend a lovely glow and festive atmosphere to your place. Cluster candles—investing in LED versions is a smart move, since they’re safer and last longer (save occasional battery changes)—on tables and shelves, and don’t forget the bathroom counter. Drape string lights around windows and mirrors, and suspend them over eating areas, or run them around the perimeter of your room. If you have trouble hanging them, you can just put them inside Mason jars surrounded by brightly colored leaves and mini pumpkins for cute centerpieces that also illuminate your table. If you still need your overhead lighting too, consider swapping out way-harsh or too-dim bulbs for those with a warmer wattage. The right light really does wonders for any space.

Spark and Chemistry

Include a few seasonal touches. Scatter a few pumpkins and gourds around your space, from the dining area to the coffee table (which may in fact be one and the same), and again, in the bathroom too—any space that guests will use. You can leave the pumpkins au naturel, or paint them to complement your decor (matte white, bright blue, metallic gold…), even turn them into autumnal vases if you want to put in a bit more work. Incorporate fall herbs and spices into your table setting too, and around the rest of the room. You’d be surprised how versatile everyday produce can be, and it’s certainly cheaper than going to a florist. Likewise, you can gather items like gnarled branches, colorful fall leaves, acorns, and pine cones for free on nature walks, and work them into your seasonal displays as well.

A Pumpkin and a Princess

Gather cozy blankets and pillows. This is especially important if you don’t have quite enough traditional seating—and even more so if you have bare wood floors. You’ll never regret having extra cuddly blankets stashed around your house, so now’s the time to invest in a few if you’re currently lacking. Leave them out and accessible, draped over furniture or rolled up in baskets, and let people know they’re free to use them. If you don’t have a lot of extra cash to spend on fancy throw pillows, though, buy cheap ones and secondhand sweaters that are reasonably cute and cozy to the touch to use as pillow slips. If you can’t sew, no worries; there’s an easy fold-and-tie method to achieve a similar result.

Microfiber Geometric Printed Blanket ($21)

Super soft, and comes in a few different colors to suit your style.

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Invest in slightly nicer hand soap and lotion. Or at least get a semi-fancy dispenser and transfer your normal Softsoap to the classier container for an instant upgrade. A pleasantly scented lotion is nice to set out alongside for those who want it—it doesn’t have to be La Mer hand cream, but going at least one step up from Suave can be a nice touch (literally), and you’ll have plenty left over to pamper yourself after the party’s over too. While we’re in the bathroom, if you don’t have a hand towel, buy one of those now; they’re inexpensive, and even the very cheapest one is a much appreciated alternative to having to use someone’s personal bath towel for drying your hands.

Floral Ceramic Soap Dispenser ($10)

Even the cheap stuff seems more luxurious when it comes out of something this fancy.

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Make your place smell nice. You’ve already gotten rid of anything that reeks when you deep-cleaned, of course, but consider making things even cozier on the day of by making the place smell really good. If you’re cooking, that’s probably already happening as a byproduct, but simply mulling some wine or spiced cider amps up the lovely welcoming vibe a lot (with the obvious bonus: you also have a nice warm drink to enjoy). Scented candles can’t beat that—but they can edge over into unpleasantly chemical territory at times. If you’re not a fan of mulled drinks, just brew up some stovetop potpourri to scent your space and give everyone the warm fall fuzzies.

The Cookie Rookie

Make it easy for guests to find things. Take the guesswork out of locating the bathroom or the water glasses by making signs to point people in the right direction, and setting things out in the open if you have the space. Group glassware and drinks together—you can use a cooler for soda and beer to cut down on kitchen traffic, free up fridge space, and make it easier for people to grab their own refreshments. If you really don’t love the look of it, paint it, or cover the outside with washi tape for a quicker fix. Set out all the silverware people will need, as well as napkins, and make it clear where they can put their empties and other trash or recycling too.

Set out snacks. You don’t want people to fill up before the main event is on, but putting out a little something as simple as a dish of candied nuts is a nice touch that can make guests relax a little—and give them something to do with their hands (and cushion the impact of any alcohol they may be drinking before dinner). Use a generously sized bowl or platter, or a grouping of smaller vessels, so no one feels shy about partaking.

Ceramic Squirrel Candy Dish ($18)

Adorable and practical; always a winning combination.

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Show yourself. Don’t be reluctant to decorate with the things you truly love, from treasured photos to old trophies with sentimental value and odd objects you’ve acquired over time, no matter how idiosyncratic they may be. They’ll give your space a sense of character and could even be the basis for some interesting conversations, which is always a plus.

Related Video: Is It Tacky to Ask Guests to BYOB to Thanksgiving?

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