Thanksgiving is our favorite maximalist holiday, and weâre not about to let a day filled with gratitude and abundance go the way of overwhelm. Ensure a simple-enough menu stays manageable with a to-do list so youâre not waylaid by days-long side quests. Skip over the dish pileup with a groovy playlist and designate some helpers to wash and dry before dinner is even served. And what about the premeal cocktail hour? We have another simple fix: Leave the âsignatureâ cocktail to another gathering. This year itâs just vermouth on the menu.
Specifically, stock up on Spanish vermouth, a.k.a. vermut, a fortified wine thatâs spiced, often sweet, and designed for drinking straight. In Spain, where la hora del vermut is a beloved premeal ritual akin to Italyâs aperitivo, vermut culture has evolved to embrace myriad styles, especially leaning into luscious fruit profiles and richer textures. Think inky cola-esque bottles; floral, blush rosé vermuts; or even cinnamon-and-licorice-tinged vermut negro.
Slightly sweeter than its French or Italian cousins, Spanish vermut is also soft, herbal, and luxurious. Itâs a drink with presence: notes of clove, cinnamon, orange peel, wormwood, even a hint of Dr Pepper, if youâre into that sort of thing.
Unlike the highly operationalized holiday Thanksgiving is often purported to be, at its core itâs a feast with the people we care about most. Vermut is a natural accompanist to such an event. It does not ask to be in the spotlight, in cocktails or otherwise. At its absolute best, vermut embraces the art of the pause, an invitation to slow down with nothing more complicated than an ice cube and an orange slice.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Linden Elstran
This ebony offering is sold in a stylish glass bottle that belies its complex makeup. The aromatic base of Macabeo grapes gets its color from unripe green walnuts, macerated with 150 botanicals before being aged in oak for six months. The resulting beverage reminds us of Spainâs famous kalimotxo cocktail (simply, red wine topped with Coca-Cola), charming without being complicated.
