Column: Have a toast to go with your Thanksgiving turkey

Thanksgiving is upon us and as it may be a smaller affair than usual, we’ll have more time to craft some tasty cocktails to pair with our feast!

It is a tradition in our household to enjoy some beautifully crafted whiskey made, of course, by Wild Turkey. If you aren’t a straight whiskey drinker, here is an option for a festive Old-Fashioned with just enough spice and bitterness to help digest that big (or small) bird.

Wild Turkey’s Rare Breed edition of rye is barrel-strength, with a robust character that really shines through in this version of the cocktail.

TURKEY DAY OLD-FASHIONED

• 1/4 ounce Pumpkin Spice Syrup (see note)
• 1/4 ounce Cynar Italian liqueur
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters
• 2 ounces Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye

>> Garnish: Sage leaf and star anise pod

Combine ingredients in mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain over large ice cube into bucket glass.

>> To make Pumpkin Spice Syrup: Toast 2 cinnamon sticks, 3 star anise pods and 1 tablespoon peppercorns until fragrant. Combine in pot with 2 cups roasted pumpkin cubes, 2 large pieces smashed ginger, 2 cups sugar and 1 cup water. Simmer 5 minutes. Cool and strain.

IF BOOZY cocktails like the Old-Fashioned are not your preference, try something “Bugey” instead — Patrick Bottex Bugey-Cerdon, to be exact.

This low-alcohol sparkling rosé from the Bugey region in France boasts a touch of sweetness with fine bubbles and hints of ripe strawberry. You will be happy you made the effort to find it (try Fujioka’s Wine Times in Market City).

This wine is perfect for pairing with turkey on its own, but also serves as a lovely ingredient in the crowd-pleasing refresher below. Either way, you will be winning.

SO ‘BUGEY’

• 1 grapefruit wedge
• 1/2 ounce lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce simple syrup (1 part sugar dissolved in 1 part water)
• 1/2 ounce mild amaro liqueur (like Luxardo Bitter Bianco or Aperol)
• 1-1/2 ounces citrus-forward gin (like Suntory Roku or FY Organic)
• 2 ounces Patrick Bottex Bugey-Cerdon

>> Garnish: Thyme sprigs and grapefruit wedge

Press grapefruit with lemon and simple syrup in tall glass. Add liquors, fill glass with ice and float Bottex wine on top.

Chandra Lucariello is director of mixology for Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Hawaii. Her column runs on the fourth week of the month. The liquors and liqueurs used in these recipes are widely available from Oahu liquor stores and some supermarkets.