Dispel the Food Coma with a Nice Digestif
If there is one thing we all may be guilty of when Thanksgiving rolls around, it’s the tendency to over-eat! When your belly is full and it comes time to move away from the turkey carcass and the empty plates, it’s the perfect opportunity to settle down in front of the fireplace and complete your meal with a digestif. A digestif is a meant to stimulate your digestion and restore your confidence that you will someday wish to eat again.
If you’re thinking digestif sounds a lot like digestion, well, you are correct. A digestif is an alcoholic drink served after a meal. There are many styles of digestifs, from amaros and fortified wines to brandies and herbal liqueurs. Some cocktails can also be digestifs. The one thing that all of these have in common is that they're intended to aid in the digestion of food.
1. Calvados
You may have ended your meal with a nice slice of apple pie, and now it’s time to sip on some apple brandy from the lower Normandy region of France. Distilled from cider, not wine, Calvados is a nice compliment to festive holiday meals.
We recommend: Adrien Camut Calvados 6yrs
2. Port
Port is a nice transition if you’ve been drinking wine all evening and you want to keep the wine theme going. If you opt for one good glass, we recommend splurging on a nice vintage Port or aged tawny.
We recommend: Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port 2007
3. Fernet
The choice of all the cool bartenders for its medicinal licorice kick and its ability to give you a second wind before last call. It’s part of the Amaro family and is a value at about $25+ a bottle.
We recommend: Falcon Spirits Fernet Francisco 12
4. Armagnac
Famous for being one of the oldest and most luxurious spirits, there’s a reason it’s been consumed across Europe and elsewhere for several hundred years - it’s damn good! Take your time and initially an Armagnac will reveal aromas of vanilla, toffee, nougat, pepper, rose and chocolate. Eventually, dried fruits like apricots, prunes and figs, plus notes of licorice and flowers may come to the surface.
We recommend: Chateau de Pellehaut Reserve Armagnac
