The Ultimate Thanksgiving Cocktail Guide

While turkey and pumpkin pie are two of the most talked-up Thanksgiving plates, let’s not forget about the crucial cocktail portion of the meal. Thanksgiving side dishes like stuffing, gravy and mashed potatoes are lovely, but why not add a festive cocktail to liven up the celebrations? The holiday season is the perfect time to work on your bartending skills, and whether it’s a pre-dinner aperitif, dessert treat or a mid-meal cocktail, a cheerful Thanksgiving drink is sure to elevate the menu and add a little something extra to the festive atmosphere.

Yes, it turns out that Thanksgiving is nearly upon us, so it’s time to finalize that menu and, along with the turkey and cranberry sauce, make sure you include a cocktail or two for the special celebration. Fall cocktails just hit different, and why not elevate the atmosphere with a drink that’s the perfect to complement Thanksgiving dinner, or perhaps a lovely pairing with those appetizers? We found all the best recipes for the best Thanksgiving cocktails that you’ll be *so* grateful for this year, because what goes better with apple pie and all the other Thanksgiving desserts than a delicious drink? Whether you’re into a classic cocktail, a fizzy beverage or any other kind of bubbly sipper, we’ve got you covered. Below, see our favorite concoctions with all the fall flavors to whip up for the holiday table, because these are the best cocktail recipes that are sure to be the hit of the night.

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The Best Thanksgiving Cocktail Recipes for the Perfect Turkey Day

Cîroc Autumnal Appletini

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Cîroc Apple
.75 oz fresh lemon juice
.75 oz simple syrup
Apple slices, for garnish

Directions:

Combine vodka, lemon juice and simple syrup into a shaker with ice. Shake well; strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with apple slices.

Pumpkin, Spice and Everything on Ice

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Broken Shed Vodka
1 oz pumpkin maple coffee syrup
Pumpkin maple coffee syrup (mix equal parts cold coffee, maple syrup and pumpkin purée)
Star anise pod, for garnish

Directions:

Add all ingredients into a shaker; shake with ice. Double strain into a rocks glass with one large ice cube; garnish with a star anise pod.

Maple Margarita

1.5 oz Patrón Silver
.75 oz Patrón Citrónge Orange
.25 oz Ilegal Mezcal Joven
1 oz maple syrup
1 oz lime juice
Maple leaf, for garnish

Directions:

Combine all ingredients (except garnish) in a shaker tin; shake with ice to chill. Strain into a coupe glass rimmed with salt. Garnish with a maple leaf.

Pumpkin Spice Margarita

Ingredients:

1 oz Cointreau
2 oz tequila
.75 oz fresh lime juice
2 tbsp pumpkin puree
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tbsp honey
Cinnamon stick, for garnish

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a shaker, add ice and shake. Fine strain over ice into a glass. Garnish with cinnamon stick.

Templeton Maple Toddy

Ingredients:

2 oz Templeton Rye Maple Cask Finish
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz maple syrup
Cinnamon bark, for garnish

Directions:

Add maple syrup, hot water, rye whiskey and lemon juice into a mug, stirring until combined. Garnish with a cinnamon bark and serve warm.

Fall Spiced Wine 

1 part Absolut Pear
1 part apple juice
1/4 part lime juice
1 part ginger beer
2 parts Campo Viejo Cava Brut
Mint, apple slices and cinnamon stick, for garnish 

Directions:

Add liquid ingredients into a glass or bowl; top with sparkling wine. Add ice. garnish with mint, apple and a cinnamon stick for a fun take on the classic Moscow Mule.

Melbourne Apple Sour

Ingredients:

2 oz Starward Two-Fold Whisky
.75 oz fresh lemon juice
.25 oz simple syrup
.5 oz egg white
Apple cider

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except for the apple cider into a shaker without ice. Shake vigorously to whip the egg whites. Add ice and shake again until very cold. Double strain into a coupe glass; top with apple cider.

Noilly Hot Toddy 

Ingredients:

1.25 oz Noilly Prat Rouge
.5 oz D’usse Cognac VSOP
.5 oz demerara syrup
.5 oz lemon juice
3 oz black tea
2 dashes chocolate bitters
1 dash angostura bitters

Directions:

Add all ingredients except for the tea into a glass. Top with hot tea and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

West Coast Mulled Wine 

Courtesy Grant Sceney, creative beverage director at Botanist

Ingredients: 

(Makes a big batch of 40 servings)

5 bottles pinot noir
.5 gallons water
2,000 grams white sugar
10 cinnamon sticks
.5 cup of English Breakfast Tea
1 cup dark chocolate chunks
10 oz green cardamom
20 oz cloves
10 bay leaves
10 star anise
10 lemon quarters
10 vanilla beans
Grated nutmeg, for garnish 

Directions:

Slice vanilla pods lengthwise; scrape the seeds out. Add pods and seeds to a pot with dry spices and bash with a muddler. Add lemon wedges and juice from the lemons, as well as the red wine and the rest of the ingredients, except the tea. Bring to a rapid simmer. Reduce heat to a slow bubble; add tea for three minutes. Strain and serve at 65 degrees in a teacup or mug. 

Cranberry and Apple

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Jaja Reposado
2 oz cranberry cocktail
Dry hard apple cider
Apple slice, for garnish

Directions:

Add tequila and cranberry cocktail into a rocks class filled with ice cubes. Top with apple cider and garnish with apple slice.

Campari Boulevardier

Ingredients:

.75 parts Campari
.75 parts 1757 Vermouth di Torino Rosso
1.5 parts Russell’s Reserve 10-Year-Old Bourbon
Orange slice

Directions:

Combine bourbon, vermouth and Campari in a glass; stir until combined. Pour over a glass with one large ice cube. Garnish with orange slice.

Select Cranberry Paloma 

Ingredients:

1.5 parts Milagro Select Silver
3/4 part fresh lime juice
3/4 part cranberry juice
1/2 part thyme simple syrup
2 parts pink grapefruit soda
Cranberries, for garnish

Directions:

Combine all ingredients, except for soda and garnish, in shaker. Shake well. Strain into highball glass with fresh ice. Garnish with cranberries.

Pumpkin Patch

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Crystal Head Vodka
1 tsp honey
.75 oz coffee liqueur
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
.75 oz heavy cream (or non-dairy alternative, such as oat milk creamer or coconut milk creamer)
2 or 3 ginger snap cookies.

Directions:

Crumble the ginger snap cookies; place crumbs on a plate. Rub the rim of a rocks glass with honey. Dip your glass in cookie crumbs to coat the rim. In a shaker, combine vodka, coffee liqueur and pumpkin pie spice. Shake with ice. Pour contents of shaker into a rocks glass over ice and top with the heavy cream or non-dairy milk of choice.

Grey Goose Apple Martini

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Grey Goose La Poire Vodka
.5 oz calvados
.33 oz Ancho Reyes chilis
.5 oz lime juice
1.5 oz fresh apple juice

Directions:

Shake all ingredients over ice and strain into a chilled martini glass.

The Botanist Blood Orange Negroni  

Ingredients: 

1.5 oz The Botanist Islay Dry Gin 
.75 oz bianco vermouth  
.5 oz Italian bitter aperitif  
.25 oz blood orange bitters 
Blood orange slice, for garnish

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. Stir to incorporate. Strain over fresh ice into a double old fashioned glass. Garnish with blood orange slice.

Corralejo Pumpkin Pie

1.5 oz Corralejo Reposado
1/4 oz Montenegro
3/4 oz pumpkin puree
1 oz fresh lemon juice
Whipped cream, for garnish

Directions:

Combine all ingredients into a shaker and shake. Pour into a wine glass and top with whipped cream.

Like Thursday Morning

Courtesy Suzy Tweten

Ingredients: 

1.5 oz El Bandido Yankee Reposado Tequila
1/2 oz Laird’s Applejack Apple Brandy
3/4 oz maple cinnamon syrup
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
2 dashes ginger bitters
Cloves, for garnish

Directions:

Combine all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with cloves.

Harper Harvest Fizz

Ingredients:

1.5 oz I.W. Harper Cabernet Cask Reserve
1 oz 100 percent pomegranate juice
.5 oz lemon juice
5 oz chilled ginger beer
Dried grapefruit, for garnish

Directions:

Combine lemon juice, pomegranate juice and bourbon whiskey into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously for a minute, then pour over ice in a rocks glass. Top off with ginger beer and garnish with dried grapefruit.

Pumpkin Daiquiri

Far East

Ingredients:

1.5 oz D’Usse VSOP French Cognac
.5 oz amaretto liqueur
3 oz chai tea
.5 oz vanilla syrup
.5 oz almond milk
2 dashes cardamom bitters

Directions:

Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake and then strain into a highball glass filled with ice.

Avaline Red Apple Cider Spritz

Ingredients:

1 bottle of red wine (preferably Avaline pinot noir)
2 cups cold apple cider
3 apples
4 cinnamon sticks
Sparkling water

Directions:

Combine red wine, apple cider, apples and cinnamon sticks in a pitcher. Let sit in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to let the flavors infuse. Pour over ice; top with sparkling water. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and an apple slice.

Spiced Sorel Spritz

Courtesy Jaylynn Little

Ingredients:

.5 oz black pepper and rosemary simple syrup
2 oz Sorel Liqueur
3 dashes orange bitters
3 oz prosecco
Splash of soda water
Rosemary and orange slice, for garnish

Directions: 

Add all syrup, liqueur, orange bitters and soda water to a spritz or wine glass. Add ice and sparkling wine. Garnish with rosemary sprig and orange slice.