1. Pumpkin Martini

We’ve been seeing this one pop up a lot lately, whether made with pumpkin spice or pumpkin syrup. At Devil’s Alley in Philadelphia, they say screw the FDA and throw some caffeine in there too. Their espresso pumpkin martini is made from Van Gogh Expresso Vodka, Bailey’s Irish Cream and pumpkin syrup. Leave pumpkin pie for the babies. (Photo by M. Edlow for GPTMC)

2. Cranberry Cocktail

We all know that frightening blob of canned cranberry sauce is gonna be left on the table at the end of the meal, right? Fortunately for cranberry lovers who want their antioxidants in a more easily digestible form, there are now several types of cranberry liquor on the market. At Patina Restaurant in LA, the turkey day menu gets washed down with “the fall cocktail” — 1½ oz. Pear Vodka, ¾ oz. Cranberry Liquor and 1 oz. Apple Juice.

3. Sweet Potato Martini

So fitting pumpkin and cranberry into the glass wasn’t actually that hard…but how to do the sweet potato? Well John Kinder, the mixologist at mk in Chicago has figured out how and we won’t lie, it ain’t easy. It starts with grilling some sweet potatoes and incorporates grain alcohol and vanilla bean along the way. Check out the full instructions on Star Chefs.

(Photo: Star Chefs)

4. Mashed Potato Beer

If you can put it in your mouth, you had better believe some home-brewing rebel has figured out a way to put it in beer. And that maxim holds true for the classic T-side of mashed potatoes. You may not have enough time to get it ready for this year, but if any of you want to check out the recipe and actually brew this up, ES will absolutely be drinking at your table next year. (Photos quinnanya and david.nikonvscannon)

5. Jagermeister Turkey

But why forgo the feast for drinks when you can just add your drinks to the feast? Yes, there is actually a recipe out there that involves basting your turkey in a sweet, spicy lather of Germany’s most frequently bombed export. With 56 herbs already in the alcohol, you don’t even need to season.

Jägermeister Roasted Turkey with Fresh Herbs

1 Fresh Turkey 13-15 lbs.

1 sweet onion cut in quarter

1 carrot peeled and chopped

1 branch of celery chopped

A bouquet of sage, parsley and marjoram

Salt and pepper

6 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 Tbsp minced lemon zest

¼ cup Jägermeister

2 carrots peeled and chopped

½ sweet onion chopped

¼ cup cornstarch stir in ¼ cup water

2 cups chicken stock

½ cup Jägermeister

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh sage for garnish

· Preheat oven to 325?F.

· Rinse the turkey inside and out and pat dry with a paper towel. Place the onion, carrot, celery, herbs in the turkey and season inside and outside the poultry. Truss the turkey or tie the legs with kitchen string. Place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Spread 2 tablespoons of the butter over the breast. In a small pan over low heat, melt the remaining butter; stir in the lemon zest, ¼ cup of water and ¼ cup of Jägermeister.

· Roast the turkey, basting with Jägermeister butter mixture every 20 minutes, until pan drippings have accumulated, then baste with the drippings. After 1½ hours, add the chopped carrots, onion to the pan and continue to roast, basting every 30 minutes. If the breast begins to over brown, cover loosely with aluminum foil. Roast until the thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh away from the bone registers 175?F, 2½ -3 hours total.

· Transfer the turkey to a cutting board, cover with foil and let rest for 30 minutes before carving.

· Skim off the fat and juices of the pan, leaving the vegetables. Set the pan over medium heat and scrape up any brown bits. Pour 1 cup of chicken stock and stir for 3 minutes. Add the corn starch mixture and the remaining chicken stock; stir until thickened. Pour Jägermeister into the pan and simmer for 1 minute. Strain the Jägermeister Gravy.

· Snip the string, carve the turkey and arrange on a warmed platter. Serve with Jägermeister gravy.

· Serve 12, without leftovers.

Find more cocktail ideas in Endless Cocktails

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Long-time readers know the ES crew won’t be satisfied until we control the entire food media world, and on that note, today’s a big day in the annals of Endless Simmer history, as this post officially goes where no ES post has gone before: the world of sound. That’s right — in addition to learning what we eat every night through our words and photos, you can now get all up in our heads and actually hear what’s going on inside these hungry, hungry minds.

On Talking With Our Mouths Full: The Endless Simmer Podcast, we’ll bring you food stories from around the globe, interview some of your favorite food personalities, and share our every edible thought, all via the magical medium of Internet radio. Given the time of year, today’s debut episode is all about — what else? — turkey! Those of you looking to mix it up a bit this Thanksgiving are in luck, as four of our favorite food personalities have graciously taken the time to tell us about a few alternative ways you can cook that big bird this year. Hit the play button above and take a listen!

Featured Guests in this Episode:

Fabio Viviani, the fan favorite from season five of Top Chef, is also the star of the upcoming Food Network series Fabio: A Catered Affair, the chef at brand new LA eatery Firenze Osteria, and a roving ambassador for Santa Margherita wines. Somehow, he found the time to talk to us about turkey.

Elizabeth Karmel is widely recognized as one of America’s foremost BBQ and grilling experts. The executive chef at New York’s Hill Country Barbecue and Market (an Al Roker favorite!), Elizabeth is also the founder of GirlsAtTheGrill.com, where, among other goodies, you’ll find a mean recipe for grilled turkey.

Mike Bober (a.k.a. JoeHoya) along with his wife Elizabeth, writes the Washington, D.C. food blog Capital Spice. When he’s not busy smoking out his entire neighborhood, he drops enough knowledge around ES to earn himself a place in the Endless Eater Hall of Fame.

Clint Cantwell is a member of award-winning competition barbecue and grilling team Smoke In Da Eye. If you’re gonna try frying up your bird this year, please, please read Clint’s Ten Tips to a Perfect (and Safe) Deep-Fried Turkey.

After you’ve listened to the turkey talk podcast above, be sure to share your own turkey cooking tips in the comments below, and cast your vote:

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Talking With Our Mouths Full is produced by Adam Pogoff of Boutique Radio. For all your podcasting and audio production needs, visit Boutique Radio on the web.

Uh-oh! Ten days and counting to National Gluttony Day, and the crew here at ES is far from finishing our Thanksgiving menus.

How about you all? In need of some inspiration? To get the ball rolling, here are some of our favorite side dishes from Endless Simmer Thanksgivings past:

- Cranberry-Butternut Squash Spring Rolls

- Curried Parsley Sauce with Brussel Sprouts and Potato

- Squash with Portobellas, Walnuts and Feta

- Hot and Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

- Julienne Root Vegetable Salad

- Turkey-Bacon-Potato Onesie AND Sweet Potato-Feta-Spinach Onesie

- Roasted Pumpkin Stew

- Ginger-Gorgonzola Acorn Squash

- Mindless Baked Sweet Potato

- Curry Pumpkin Soup

- Squash and Spinach with Curry-Ginger Yogurt Sauce

Have a great Thanksgiving side recipe? Drop the details (or a link) in the comments.