‘Tis the season - for celebrating, hosting, cooking, eating and gathering. We truly value the heritage of entertaining and family traditions that we inherited from our great grandfather, Pappy Van Winkle, and that have been lovingly continued by the generations after. We are excited to embark on a holiday season dedicated to tradition, food, and family! In case you haven't heard us mention it a million times before - those are really our big three!
Food is the centerpiece of life's moments - big and small. It has always been a way to share and show love, in the best and worst of times. Food is so intrinsically tied to holiday traditions that it often becomes synonymous with the holiday itself. Take the turkey for example. It has become the visual representation of a holiday so completely that it simply announces the entire holiday itself by its mere presence. Of course you even have people who will wish you a "Happy Turkey Day" instead of the more traditional, Happy Thanksgiving.
It is our own shared love of food, flavor and tradition and our passion for entertaining that was the primary inspiration behind Pappy & Company. It is our invitation to all of you - to slow down and enjoy life's moments, and to savor time, family and friends. This is often done around a table, where we can honor and celebrate our favorite family traditions. Of course, so many of our favorite family traditions involve food. We pull out our treasured family recipes, and enjoy gathering in the kitchen to cook up new ones. One thing remains a constant - there will be laughter, good cocktails, and time spent together.
Fortunately, we considered this love of food and flavor when we founded Pappy & Company. Finding new and creative ways to enjoy the signature flavor of our family's bourbon heritage through our Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged gourmet collection has been one of our greatest delights, and to sweeten the deal, it has made some of our favorite recipes even easier to create and share!
Our own Van Winkle family Thanksgiving traditions begin with our legendary "Turkey Fry" mornings, where friends, family and neighbors gather in the frost of early Thanksgiving morning to fry turkeys in our driveway. Naturally, as all of our favorite traditions and recipes have evolved, this has become quite the experience. What started as a way to try a new version of a traditional Thanksgiving Turkey, has become more of an event than anything else.
While our Thanksgiving Turkey Fry is certainly one of our favorite aspects of our holiday traditions, it is also a poignant reminder not to be afraid to get creative and have fun. Sometimes the best results and most memorable days come from surprising ingredients.
We all know that food tastes better when enjoyed together - but we understand that cooking for the holidays, especially one known for it's menu in particular like Thanksgiving is - can be a daunting and overwhelming task. We also know that if you start with high quality ingredients full of flavor - you can't go wrong. Our strategy is to keep it simple - and concentrate on just a few "wow" elements with sides and cocktails so you can let the traditional favorites do the heavy lifting!
Of course, when the food is really about flavor, it is simply down to a small set of ingredients with bold enough flavor to deliver. So call on our Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged essentials. Perhaps it's the warmth of the buttery rich notes of vanilla and caramel, the surprisingly sweet hint of charred oak, or the signature remnants of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon that just make crafting holiday recipes a breeze, but we have to say our holiday recipes are some of our very favorites.
Kick off the festivities with cocktails
Depending on how your Thanksgiving day unfolds, or whether it involves a morning gathered around the turkey fryer like ours does, you may also need a cavalry of cocktails to choose from. Fortunately, we have the easiest option around that requires no prep work or time behind the bar. Our Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged Old Fashioned Mixers whip up an absolutely classic and delicious Old Fashioned with ease. Or try Thanksgiving with a twist and serve some Whiskey Sourswith our Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel Smoked Kentucky Sour Mixer.
If you are feeling creative, try a few of our other craft cocktails that are infused with Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged flavor:
Ginger Whiskey Sour
Bourbon Pumpkin Smash
Spicy Kentucky Mule Kick
Maple Bourbon Blackberry Smash
Side Dish Specialties
Just because you are called a side dish doesn’t mean you can’t be the star of the show. Take our Maple Hasselback Butternut Squash. Gorgeous and delicious, this side dish is absolutely meant to be on your Thanksgiving menu. It delivers some real presentation and flavor points, thanks to the balsamic maple glaze made with our powerhouse ingredient - Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged Pure Maple Syrup, yet it is much easier than it looks. We've even got some surprising choices for your Thanksgiving table, like our Cornmeal Crusted Bacon, but like we said, don't be afraid to mix it up!
Maple Hasselback Butternut Squash
Cornmeal Crusted Bacon
Spicy Green Beans
Bourbon Soaked Cranberry Green Beans
Maple Balsamic Salad
Heirloom Corn Bread
Bourbon and Maple Sweet Potatoes
Want a holiday tip to make hosting, entertaining and more importantly, enjoying the festivities even easier? Check out out entertaining essentials! We've got beautiful heritage inspired glassware that makes setting the table a breeze and will make even the simplest of tablescapes look and feel festive.
Serve anything from Thanksgiving Turkey to sliced tenderloin, or prepare a pre-dinner charcuterie or a dessert sampling on our Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel Cutting Boards and Serving Trays. Crafted from genuine, retired Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrels, these will bring an iconic touch of heritage to your gathering. They can go from carving to serving to setting with ease and are as welcome as a centerpiece on your table as a cutting board in your kitchen.
