Cheers to the Holidays: Thanksgiving Cocktail

Every Thanksgiving, my friend Annie and her brother designate a signature cocktail, which they have named the Dirty Pilgrim. And thankfully for my family, Annie shares her drinks thoughts with me during the weeks leading up to the holiday. My family now has our own Dirty Pilgrim tradition, and we serve it all through the morning leading up to lunch, while everyone is cooking or playing games or watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The Dirty Pilgrim is a rotating roster: we’ve had many Bloody Mary bars (always a crowd pleaser, especially with pickled green beans), vodka-grapefruits with splashes of St. Germain and sprigs of mint (this is Houston, not Colorado), and cranberry margaritas. This year we are going in a new direction – a holiday version of a Brown Derby, spiked with cinnamon and rosemary.

Our 2024 Dirty Pilgrim is an icy cocktail of bourbon, fresh grapefruit juice, and honey-cinnamon-rosemary simple syrup. The combination is delicious and refreshing, and also fitting for the season, thank you rosemary and cinnamon. And the simple syrup. While simple, it is fantastic and you will want to save the extra in your fridge for more drinks or maybe to drizzle over pound cake or maybe to drink on its own (not really, but maybe).

Hope our Dirty Pilgrim tradition gives your Thanksgiving holiday a little extra cheer.

Andria Dilling's "Dirty Pilgrim" for Thanksgiving 2024 is an icy cocktail of bourbon, fresh grapefruit juice, and honey-cinnamon-rosemary simple syrup.

Dirty Pilgrim

1 ½ ounces bourbon
2 ounces fresh grapefruit juice, chilled
½ ounce honey-cinnamon-rosemary simple syrup, recipe follows
Cinnamon stick, for garnish
Rosemary sprig, for garnish

Pour the bourbon, grapefruit juice, and simple syrup into a shaker. Fill with ice and shake 30 seconds, until frosty cold. Fill an old fashioned glass with ice, and strain the drink into the glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and a sprig of rosemary.

Honey-Cinnamon-Rosemary Simple Syrup:
1 cup honey
1 cup water
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 cinnamon stick

Place the honey and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the honey has dissolved into the water. Add the rosemary and cinnamon, and turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. Remove the rosemary and cinnamon stick, pour the syrup into a lidded container, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.