Old Fashioned Thanksgiving Weekend Round-Up

Due to unforeseeable circumstances and my need for planning, this was the first year that my husband and I opted to do Thanksgiving at our house with two of his married army buddies (one who happens to be my best friend). The day was filled with excitement and glee that I haven't felt about any holiday in a long while.

I had my turkey and two sides set-up in a crockpot, as well as a dip in a crockpot and a snack bar set-up. I also set-up an old fashioneds bar! The bar contained sugar cubes, slices of oranges, morello cherries, Korbel brandy, bitters, ice and 7-up.

I made my drinks by using a rocks glass with a heavy bottom (tunc). I added 1 or 2 cubes of sugar, depending if they preferred sweet/sour, and drenched the cubes in bitters. I then added a slice of navel orange and 2-4 morello cherries. I prefer morello because they are tart pie cherries, verse sweet, sugary Maraschino cherries. I then eye-balled a solid 2 shots of brandy and masticated the fruit with a fork (I don't own a pestle). I added ice and a splash of soda to the top of the drink.

I am tooting my own horn, they were wonderful and I drank them all day.

I did switch to wine when we finally ate dinner.

On Friday we drove to Union Grove to the Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery to celebrate my Grandmother's life. She passed away just before Thanksgiving. She was a wonderful woman who served in WWII as a Navy nurse. I will remember her contagious giggle, spark for life and her independence. 

Grandma always said a party was not a party without a drink! At her eulogy, we mentioned her love of brandy Manhattans. Manhattans use sweet vermouth instead of sugar. I cannot stomach vermouth, so I celebrated her life with several brandy old fashioneds and many family members. We spend lots of time catching up and sharing memories. Grandma wouldn't have been disappointed.

Saturday, my husband and I had drinks and dinner at the new Mahoneys on Wisconsin. Then a couple of more drinks at Oblios and saw a show at the Backlot Comedy Club. Mahoneys and Oblios are on the top of my list for future reviews. Drinks were great at both places!

So that is my Thanksgiving round-up. A slight deviation from my usual blog entries, but a must share.