How To Survive Thanksgiving Dinner With Friends & Family (Drink More. Talk Less.)

This year, more than any other, Thanksgiving dinner could be a volatile situation. We’ve all barely survived a contentious political campaign that has divided the country, right down to our dining room tables.

Your friends at Purdy Meyers feel your pain. In fact, we’re considering a quiet T-giving dinner alone in the basement, garage or bomb shelter—if possible. Here are a few things to avoid, and a few things to embrace this year. Especially if Crazy Uncle Morty shows up. Again!

Do’s & Don’ts for Thanksgiving Peace!

For pre-dinner, we highly recommend you turn on the TV as loud as possible and watch as many football games as your collective eyeballs can handle. Sure, there might be some team rivalry and friendly competition, but it will surely be safer than any of the following topics to avoid, including but not limited to:

• Don’t talk about the election

• Don’t talk about the candidates

• Don’t talk about pocketbook issues like the price of groceries, gas, housing, and rocket ship fuel

• Don’t talk about social issues like race, the border, gender identity, climate change, vaccines, the economy, Supreme Court appointees, and Uncle Morty’s lazy eye
  

Here are a few topics that we believe should be relatively safe, depending on your relatives:

• Talk about the weather

• Talk about the traffic getting to your T-dinner destination

• Talk about the delicious smells coming out of the kitchen (But don’t talk about the smells coming out of Uncle Morty!)

• Talk about Gramma Ida’s perfect mashed potatoes & gravy (avoid the canned cranberry controversy and lumpy vs. smooth debate)

  Ask this question as often as possible…

“So, what would you like to drink?”

We thought you’d never ask. Here are some tasty cocktails and barware recommendations to help make this year’s Thanksgiving more of a festive celebration than a futile confrontation. Here’s one that should help lubricate any situation.

Perfect Manhattan Cocktail

Ingredients

• 2 ounces rye whiskey

• 1/2 ounce dry vermouth

• 1/2 ounce sweet vermouth

• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

• Garnish: brandied cherry or a lemon twist

Steps

1. Add the rye whiskey, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth and bitters into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled.

2. Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass or cocktail glass.

3. Garnish with a brandied cherry or a lemon twist.

The Nick and Nora Glass

Simple and Easy Mocktail for Kids

Drinks for the Kid’s Table!

Non-alcoholic mocktails, of course. Unless they sneak some of your wine when you’re trying to avoid eye contact with your overly opinionated cousin from the backwoods of Boston. The kid’s table is always where the real action is on T-giving. (Do you think that term was invented by T-Swift?)  

Sneak over to the kid’s table when your spouse isn’t watching and serve up some kiddie cocktails that will eclipse the excitement of splitting the wishbone.  Here are some recipes that will give them a thrill right before they fall asleep in Ida’s mashed potato mountain:

Simple and Easy Mocktail for Kids

Ingredients

• 3 oz pineapple juice

• 1 oz orange juice

• 1 tsp grenadine syrup

• 1-2 oz sparkling water

Instructions

Combine pineapple juice and orange juice in a glass. 

Fill the glass with ice. 

Slowly pour grenadine down the inside of the glass so it settles at the bottom. 

Top with 1-2 oz sparkling water. 

Garnish with fresh fruit such as orange slices or pineapple slices, add a fun straw, and present with instructions to stir the drink well before sipping. 

Cheers to your happy holiday celebration!

See, that wasn’t so bad. You took our advice and kept the peace around pieces of turkey and far too many fixings.  All it took was a little restraint and a generous, well-stocked bar. Hopefully, the cordial cocktails will last and make your December gatherings a time of peace and joy. If not, we’ll be back to recommend some recipes for holiday cheer.