How to host Thanksgiving the Southern way, according to real, live Southerners
When it comes to good old-fashioned hospitality and finger-licking delicious cuisine, no place does it quite like the American South. So it’s only natural we’d want to include some of the South’s finest qualities in our next Thanksgiving meal—no matter where our homes fall in regards to the Mason-Dixon Line.
To find out how to get some of that signature Southern style, we consulted two of Georgia’s finest entertainers—Houses & Parties founder Rebecca Gardner, based in Savannah, and 12 Cocktail Bar barman Jarrett Holborough in Atlanta. And butter my biscuit, did they deliver!
Read on for their most cherished Southern Thanksgiving traditions, which ones they could do without, and how you can host a proper Southern-inspired Thanksgiving, too. (Then check out our delicious Thanksgiving invitations and eat up!)
Before you finalize your Thanksgiving party planning and start going rogue with your Thanksgiving party decor, read on.
Table of Contents
Southern hospitality means…
Rebecca
Southerners entertain large. Thanksgiving usually outgrows the table. Most entertainers are accustomed to the inevitable addition of folding tables and chairs when the guest list grows last minute. We’ve fashioned slipcovers for the ballroom chairs often rented or unearthed from the garage during the holidays, so that the guests relegated to the wings feel first-rate… and that is Southern hospitality. Even better, the tablecloths are perfectly sized to drop to the floor on 8-foot folding tables. Teenagers wear the matching aprons when they’re asked to serve dessert.
Jarrett
Southern hospitality means spending Thanksgiving with friends and family. Bringing dishes together with beverage pairing and spending the day with the ones you love.
The best part of Thanksgiving is
Rebecca
I set the table all day long, so my favorite parts of Thanksgiving are planning the menu, shopping for groceries, and making a mess in the kitchen. My brother, Peyton, and I do it all together. He gets upset when I use butter and cream, so I get up earlier and prep in unsuspecting containers.
Jarrett
Being around family and friends and enjoying good food and drinks.
Every Southern Thanksgiving needs
Rebecca
A Southern Thanksgiving wouldn’t be truly Southern without bourbon. I like to make Earl Grey Bourbon Punch, which is a very old “Bon Appetit” recipe. Then I make everyone wear a turkey hat with the drumsticks over each ear. (By the way, the bourbon tastes best in sterling julep cups).
Jarrett
You need some real traditional Southern Thanksgiving food, like fried turkey and cornbread, but in my household we also twist it up a bit. I am half Antiguan, so there will typically be some jerk pork on our table. It’s important that everyone always has what makes both them and their guests the happiest.
My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is…
Rebecca
My grandmother made the most delicious pumpkin chiffon pie, and my great aunt was famous for her sour cherry. So my cousin and I make both every year in honor of each sister. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll never touch another slice of regular pumpkin pie again.
Jarrett
My favorite tradition is watching football with my entire family, and just being thankful for all that we have.
A Thanksgiving tradition that could use an update
Rebecca
Does anyone really like turkey? That huge carcass kind of grosses me out. I say we leave the turkey for sandwiches the next day and roast a chicken for Thanksgiving.
Jarrett
I think the drink portion could use an update. I usually just drink spirits neat or on the rocks for Thanksgiving, but this year I’ll be making a lovely rye whiskey punch.
Something hosts should consider this year (and beyond)
Rebecca
Every holiday is better with parlor games and party hats. How about party crackers with prompts inside, like “Do your best Mick Jagger” or “Pretend you’re on QVC and sell something on the table?”
Jarrett
I think all hosts should consider having both Thanksgiving cocktails and a mocktail option. I have a lot of family members who drink, and some who do not—so I always want to make sure everyone can have fun at the function.
Every Thanksgiving needs plenty of
Rebecca
Wine.
Jarrett
Mac and cheese! Definitely my favorite dish.
Always get creative with your Thanksgiving table setting
Rebecca
This is a family affair—use the best for your family. Make an effort. And then, add something silly. Your grandmother’s favorite Andes mints, your brother’s childhood G.I. Joes. You know.
A cocktail that’ll knock their socks off
Jarrett
My newest creation, Pratt’s Punch. Here’s the recipe:
2 oz Michter’s rye whiskey
1 oz Lemon juice
1 oz Mint syrup
1/2 oz Carpano Classico
1/4 oz Chinola
Ginger beer
Add all ingredients except the ginger beer into a Boston shaker. Add ice, shake, and strain into a Collins glass over ice. Top with ginger beer and garnish with a mint sprig and a piece of candied ginger.
And remember: It ain’t over ’til it’s over.
Rebecca
Don’t forget the after-party. Adults gather for late-night libations when the kids go down. Leftovers are brought from the fridge. Both lively cocktails and the beige food from Tupperware deserve decorum. Have enough plates and silver for replating at the ready, so that your “Stay a while” is genuine. Caviar is the perfect postlude to enjoy while the Champagne (and tryptophan)-induced guests scroll sizes too small on their phones, and men make sandwiches of dinner rolls to enjoy with bourbon.
Jarrett
After I’ve spent the day with family, I head home and rest for a little. Then I change, step out again for the night, and meet some friends at one of the local bars. Since my family always cooks way too much, I definitely have some leftovers that night, and then again for the next couple of days! I think leftovers pair well with a Classic Manhattan. It’s my go-to when I’m at home, especially since I’m a huge fan of Whiskey and Vermouth!
Recipe:
2oz Michter’s rye
3/4oz Carpano Antica sweet vermouth
Barspoon demerara
4 Dashes Angostura bitters
Garnish: Lemon peel and cherry
Ready to host your Thanksgiving like a true Southerner? Grab your turkey hat and pick out the perfect Thanksgiving invitation to get your loved ones together now. (Can’t feast together this year? Send a Thanksgiving greeting card instead.)
Browse Thanksgiving Invitations
