Having tended bar in the city for roughly 12 years—in fine dining, clubs and hole-in-the-wall bars– Kelly Unda knows her way around a cocktail shaker. These days, she shows off her knack for working local ingredients into a bar glass at Harvest and Citizen Public House, and has some great ideas for getting Thanksgiving flavors into liquid form.
Let’s talk about your drink at Harvest, the Berry and Twig. Cranberries themselves are not that tasty. How did you work that into a drink?
I try to deal with seasonal ingredients and, you know, in New England cranberry bogs are everywhere, so cranberries come up. Honestly, the best thing to do is to boil them down with sugar to make them taste good. [laughs] Just heat until the liquid is released from the cranberries. (I would probably use frozen cranberries so it’s easier to do at home.) For the Berry and Twig, I add thyme to the syrup and steep it almost like a tea. Bring that almost to a boil and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Then, strain it all out and you get this nice, herbal– not very sweet but a really nice cranberry flavor—syrup.
Are there other flavors you gravitate towards this time of year?
I do use a lot of citrus still. Allspice, cinnamon. Becherovka, the Czech liquor, is great to add to anything you’re making now. I had to make a punch for an event recently and I made a black tea syrup. Punch is great for holidays: it’s easy, you can do it at home and you can make something delicious in a big batch.
Is there a specific punch recipe you’d recommend for Thanksgiving?
You could take that cranberry syrup and add either thyme or smash in some cinnamon sticks. Then you could add pretty much any spirit you want and lemon. To stretch out punches, I like to add Cava or something a little bit bubbly, a little effervescent. I like to keep my drinks simple—less than four ingredients. I think it’s sometimes a bit too much when you have so many ingredients in a drink. Not that it’s bad by any means, but it’s just not really my style.
Especially when you’re serving guests. My family always drinks Prosecco before dinner. What can get them out of that comfort zone but isn’t so crazy they won’t drink it?
We used to have a super easy cocktail that was just the cranberry-cinnamon syrup and sparkling wine. Super simple, super delicious.
What do you think you’ll be drinking on Thanksgiving?
Um, I’m gonna be at work on Thanksgiving! [laughs] I will probably be drinking a lot of wine after the shift. I do a Friendsgiving and then I work every Thanksgiving at Harvest, which is a really big day for us. Over 500 reservations right now.
Are you the drink mixer of your friend group?
No, I don’t like to make drinks when I’m outside the bar. [laughs]
Catch Kelly in action at Harvest or Citizen to sample her flavorful concoctions yourself. Mix up this easy punch recipe at home to complement your Turkey dinner and wow your guests.
Thanksgiving Day Punch
Serves 8
16 oz Bulleit bourbon
8 oz cranberry-cinnamon syrup
6 oz lemon juice
Cava, to taste
Mix together in a punch bowl, serve over ice and enjoy your holiday!
