by Lauren Rooney

It’s true, the holidays are fast approaching. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and then it’s a free for all of parties and hosting responsibilities. This year we have aimed to help you out a little bit in the beverage department by reaching out to a few of our Bucks County adult beverage experts. Here are thier suggestions for great wines, beers, and cocktails to serve this holiday season.

Wine

Jayne McPherson of Got Wine in Bristol PA, happening list winner for best wine tasting room, is filled with great suggestions for you and your holiday party guests when it comes to wine. “A nice Riesling or Pinot Grigio are perfect white wine choices for Thanksgiving. They are both lighter style wines that go well with turkey or even ham” says McPherson. As for a Thanksgiving red wine she suggests buying a bottle or two of Nouveau, a tradition that hails from France, the nation that sets the standard for wine. Nouveau is the first wine of the season and doesn’t come out until the third Thursday of November, a week before Turkey day. It will not only be a fabulous lighter bodied red wine but you can introduce your guests to this popular French tradition.

Got Wine is a distributer of Buckingham Vineyards and they have a few wines that are perfect for the Holiday season. “Our Holiday Spice wine is a sweet red wine made with mulling spices which are Nutmeg, Cinnamon, and Clove,” says McPherson “It can be served cold but is best heated up so that the aroma fills your home and guests can enjoy a nice hot drink on a cold night.” She recommends heating wine in a crockpot so that it doesn’t heat too quickly and lose it’s alcohol content and a crockpot helps to keep the wine warm through the night for your guests. When it comes to a white wine for the holidays Jayne can’t help but recommend something that is newer to the shop, “We just got a wine called Apple Pie made with those same mulling spices and 100% from apples, this can also be served hot or cold.”

Lastly we would be remiss in not mentioning something about Champagne with the coming New Year. The most traditional Champagne to serve would be a Brut according to Jayne, “Some people, who are not Champagne drinkers, might find this a bit sour because traditionally it is on the dryer side so if you are expecting a crowd like that you may want to serve something a bit sweeter like a sparkling Moscato or Asti Spumanti.”

Beer

No party is complete with out a case or two of beer. To find out what is flying off the shelves for the holiday season we reached out to Andy Wells from Dog & Bull Brew and Music House in Croydon, happening list winner for best beer bar. Andy suggest having a wide variety of beers to suit everyone’s pallet. “A really good choice, but it can be hard to find since they only make a limited quantity, is Troegs Mad Elf” says Wells “It has a higher alcohol content so let’s just say it will warm you up!” Mad Elf if fortified with Cherry and Honey but it isn’t too sweet so you can still taste the beer. If you are looking for a gift for the beer lover in your life Dog & Bull has a Mad Elf Gift Set which comes with a 22oz bottle of beer, 2 Mad Elf serving glasses, and a $25 gift card to the restaurant.

“The next beer I’d recommend is a local one from Neshaminy Creek Brewery” Wells explains “It’s called Shape of Hops to Come and it is flying off out of our bar, I have been buying 5 cases every three days to keep up with the demand.” This beer is a great one for the holidays and will pair excellently with Turkey and Ham. What a great choice if you have family visiting from out of town, you can introduce them to a local brewery!

“Sly fox Christmas Ale is another good one” says Wells “It’s like a ginger snap cookie but drinks like a true American ale. It is on the sweeter side but it is not candy or cocktail sweet.” Lastly if you are looking for a lighter tasting beer that will still give you and your guests taste buds some excitement Andy suggests Bu Claw’s Sweet Baby Jesus. “This beer is made in Maryland and it is getting very popular” he explains “It’s an American Porter, the taste is light but the color is darker.”

Cocktails

Another great place for beer and happening list finalist for best beer bar but winner for best cocktail is the Steam Pub in Southampton. “People aren’t as worried about their waist lines during the Holiday season so we see them drinking heartier beers like Brown Ales and Stouts like Chocolate and Oatmeal” says Martin Hoeger co-owner and mixologist extraordinaire. We reached out to him for some fabulous cocktail recipes sure to stir things up at your holiday gatherings! “People tend to lend towards using fruits and vegetables of the season like apples and pumpkins when it comes to holiday cocktails so that is what we do at the pub” says Martin. Here are three no fail cocktails for you to experiment with this season.

Apple Pie Martini

1 ½ oz 3 Olives Apple Jack Vodka
2 oz fresh apple cider
1 teaspoon fresh apple puree (apple sauce)
1 oz cinnamon simple syrup (sugar, water, cinnamon)

Rim the glass with a carmel, dip into a cinnamon and sugar mixture. Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into rimmed martini glass. If you would like to make more than one just double the ingredients.

Pumpkin Pie Martini

1 oz Salted Carmel vodka
½ oz Chilaorchata (similar to rumchatta)
½ oz Pumpkin Spice Liqueur
½ oz Pennsylvania Dutch Cream Pumpkin Liqueur
1 oz cinnamon simple syrup

Rim the glass with a carmel, dip into a cinnamon and sugar mixture. Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into rimmed martini glass and top with whipped cream. If you would like to make more than one just double the ingredients.

Ginger Pear Martini

2 oz Grey Goose Pear Vodka
1 ½ oz Ginger Liqueur
½ oz simple syrup (sugar and water)
Juice from 2 to 3 lemon wedges

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into martini glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon peel.

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