Thanksgiving Cocktails: 19 Drink Ideas That Will Wow Your Guests

Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends, turkey, casseroles, getting pampered back home and for spicy cocktails. In fact, the night before the Thanksgiving holiday has become one of the most popular nights for drinking, debauchery and everything else that happens when you finally get home and reunite with your old friends. To enjoy a great pre-Thanksgiving gathering or a Thanksgiving dinner with a side of booze, we’ve compiled a few drink ideas that’ll spice up the adults’ table.

Cranberry Pineapple Punch – Courtesy of Karly Gomez from A Simple Pantry

1 gallon 100% cranberry juice (not cranberry cocktail)

1 46 oz can pineapple juice

3 cups lemon-lime soda

3 cups Smirnoff No. 21 vodka

Sliced oranges, oranges, lemon (optional)

Fresh cranberries (optional)

Holiday Bliss

1 oz Smirnoff Peppermint Twist

.5 oz Don Julio Añejo Tequila

3 oz Rich Chocolate Milk

Traditionalist by Celebrity Chef Michael Symon

1 1/2 Parts Knob Creek Rye Whiskey

1/2 part cinnamon syrup

1/2 part lemon

1 Part Wild Ale (like Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales)

1 egg white and nutmeg for garnish

Just combine all ingredients in a bar tin without ice. Shake for 20 seconds. Add ice and shake for another 20 seconds. Double strain into chilled lowball glass and garnish with grated nutmeg.

Seasonal Celebrator

1 1/2 parts Cruzan Estate Diamond Dark Rum

3/4 part Lime Juice

3/4 part honey syrup

Sparkling wine

Simply combine rum, juice and syrup over ice and shake for 15 seconds. Fine strain into a chilled champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine.

Pumpkin Punch

2oz Tequila El Jimador

2oz Pumpkin ale

1oz Orange juice

1oz Pumpkin puree

2 dashes Angostura bitters

½ spice syrup

Just place all ingredients in to a cocktail shaker filled with cubed ice. Shake hard and strain over ice in to a mason jar. Garnish with a star anise pod and an orange zest.

Kissed Caramel Apple Punch by Karly Gomez from A Simple Pantry

½ gallons spiced apple cider

1 12.2 oz bottle caramel syrup

3 cups Smirnoff Kissed Caramel Vodka

Sliced apples (optional)

Cinnamon sticks (option)

Olivia Culpo’s Stella Artois Cidre Sparkler

To make homemade syrup:

1.5 cup cranberries

1.5 cup sugar

2 cups water

4 rosemary springs

Bring cranberries and water to a boil and cook until cranberries are soft (approx. 8 minutes) and can be crushed with a spoon. Remove from heat, add sugar and rosemary, stir to dissolve sugar. Let steep for at least one hour, strain and press the juice from the berries. Chill.

To build the cocktail:

.75 oz homemade rosemary cranberry syrup

.25 oz lime juice

1 bottle Stella Artois Cidre

Build cocktail in a tin shaker, add ice and strain into Stella Artois Cidre wine glass. Garnish with rosemary sprig.

Cocktail Connoisseur

1 1⁄2 parts Laphroaig 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky

3 parts apple cider

1 part fresh lemon sour

Simply build over ice in order. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

Spiced Russian

1 1/2 parts Kahlúa Pumpkin Spice

1/2 part Absolut Mandarin

1 part half and half

Build over ice in a rocks glass, and stir. Garnish with freshly-grated nutmeg.

Snowball Fight

1 part Absolut Vanilla

1 part Kahlúa Peppermint Mocha

1 part half and half

1 dash Pernod Absinthe (optional)

Build over ice in a rocks glass, and stir. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Whiskey Novice

2 parts Basil Hayden's Bourbon

1/4 part Nocello Walnut Liqueur

2 parts Spicy Hot Cocoa (see recipe below)

2 chili peppers (for garnish)

Pre-heat mug by filling it with hot water - discard water after 30 seconds. Add Basil Hayden’s Bourbon and Nocello Walnut Liqueur to the heated mug. Add the spicy hot cocoa and gently mix together. Garnish with chili peppers.

To make the Spicy Hot Cocoa:

1/2 tbsp unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1/2 tbsp. sugar

A pinch of salt

A pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 cup of water

Just mix the dry ingredients together, add hot water and stir until dissolved.

Spiced Bohemia

0.5 oz lime juice

1 oz Creme Yvette

0.5 oz Allspice liquor

1.5 oz Bohemia

Shake all ingredients except the Bohemia and strain in rockglass over ice coupe glass. Top with Bohemia beer and grate nutmeg on top.

Hornitos Harvest

2 Parts Hornitos Black Barrel Tequila

1 part pomegranate juice

1/2 part lemon juice

Part simple syrup

A lime wedge.

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake vigorously and strain over fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Orange You Thankful

1 Part Hornitos Spiced Honey,

1 part orange juice,

3/4 part grapefruit juice,

Top with tonic and orange peel.

Simply combine all ingredients except tonic in a shaker with ice, shake vigorously, strain over fresh ice and top with tonic. Garnish with an orange peel.

Negroni Mexicano

.5oz Patron XO Cafe Incendio

.5oz Aperol

.5oz Sweet Vermouth

1oz Mezcal

Combine all the ingredients over ice and garnish with chilli chocolate shaving.

Autumn Sweater

1.75 parts Kahlúa Pumpkin Spice

.25 part Frangelico

Top with cola

Simply build over ice in a highball glass, and garnish with a lemon wedge.

Stella Artois Cidre Pomegranate Punch (Serves Six) by Chef Omar Flores

For the Pomegranate Ginger Syrup:

1 1/2 cups Sugar

1/2 cup Pomegranate Molasses

1/2 cup peeled and chopped Ginger

2 cups Water

Simmer all ingredients together in small sauce pot for three minutes. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 20-25 minutes. Strain, cool and reserve.

To garnish:

6 sprigs of Mint

6 Apple Wedges, thinly sliced

6 tsp. Pomegranate Seeds

To make the cocktail:

6 bottles of Stella Artois Cidre

12 fl. oz. Pomegranate Juice

Juice of 3 Lemons

6 fl. oz. Pomegranate Ginger Syrup

Combine lemon juice, pomegranate juice, pomegranate ginger syrup and Stella Artois Cidre in a punch bowl and stir to mix. To serve, pour over ice into a Collins glass and garnish with sliced apple, pomegranate seeds and fresh mint. Enjoy!

Stella Artois Cidre Spiced Toddy (Single Serving) by Anna Worgess

For the Chinese 5-Spice Syrup:

2 tbsp. Chinese 5-Spice Powder

1 tbsp. Orange Zest

1 cup Brown Sugar

3 cups Water

Warm three cups of water and one cup of brown sugar over medium-high heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Add Chinese 5-Spice Power and orange zest; lower heat to prevent boiling. Bring syrup to a low simmer and immediately remove from heat. (Note: 5-Spice Powder will cause syrup to thicken considerably if boiled — it is best if this can be avoided). Let syrup cool to room temperature. Strain through a fine mesh sieve lined with a layer of cheesecloth. Syrup will keep for up to one week in refrigerator.

To garnish:

2 Cloves

1 Star Anise

For the cocktail:

1 bottle of Stella Artois Cidre (preferably unchilled)

¾ oz. Chinese 5-Spice Syrup

Orange Twist

2-3 Dashes of Orange Bitters

Hot Water

Combine Chinese 5-Spice Syrup and one large orange peel swath in the base of a Stella Artois Cidre glass. Muddle both gently in base of glass to release orange oil. Top with one bottle of Stella Artois Cidre and add hot water to taste. Finish with 2-3 dashes of orange bitters and garnish with two cloves and one star anise.

Warm Apple Cidre by Chef Andre Marrero

To garnish:

Whipped Cream

1 Cinnamon Stick

1 Orange (to zest)

For the cocktail:

6 bottles of Stella Artois Cidre

10 grams Ginger

2 pieces Star Anise

1 tsp. Unsalted Butter

½ tsp Vanilla Extract

Mix Stella Artois Cidre in sauce pot along with other ingredients, except butter. Bring to a boil, then lower flame and reduce down to approximately 1 cup. Strain and discard solids; whisk in butter. Pour hot Stella Artois Cidre mixture into a mug. Top with whipped cream and vanilla extract. Garnish with cinnamon stick and orange zest.