20 Thanksgiving Cocktails To Perfectly Compliment Your Turkey Dinner

The food may technically be the star of the show (with the turkey always the crowning achievement), but no holiday meal is complete without the perfect cocktail complimenting it.

Whether you’re looking for a recipe that’s truly festive, adds a sweeter element to the main course or helps you send off the holiday in style at the end of the night, there is an option for you. Here are 20 perfect cocktails that will make your Thanksgiving even better.

Autumn Harvest Punch

This recipe, compliments of Megan Marlowe of Strawberry Blondie Kitchen, is a perfect option for a large family gathering, as it serves 16.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka
• 2 apples, cored and thinly sliced
• 2 pears, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 5 ¾ cups Apple cider
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 4 pods star anise
• Rosemary sprigs

To make: In a punch bowl, add sliced apples, pears and lemon. Pour in apple cider, vodka and lemon juice. Garnish with cinnamon sticks, clove and fresh rosemary springs. Stir to combine and chill until to serve. Right before serving, add in 1-liter of ginger ale.

Barefoot Bubbly Turkey Day Toaster

This delicious cocktail is perfect for toasting to all you’re thankful for this year.

Ingredients:

• 3 ounces Barefoot Red Moscato Bubbly
• ½ ounce Amaretto
• 1-ounce cranberry juice

To make, combine amaretto and cranberry juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake to blend and chill, then strain into a champagne flute. Top with the Red Moscato.

Caramel Apple Toddy

Ingredients:

• 3 ounces Caramel Apple Hi-Chew Infused Applejack
• 1.5 cups apple cider
• 1-ounce fresh lemon juice

To make the infusion, soak one piece of candy per ounce of liquor until dissolved. Then, in a small saucepan, heat the cider until hot. Remove from heat, then stir in the infused applejack and lemon juice. Divide between two mugs and garnish with a lemon wheel and dried apple ring.

Captain Morgan’s Hot Cider

This drink is not only sure to warm you up if the temperatures outside are chilly, but it’s also relatively easy to make.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz. Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum
• 3 oz. Apple Cider
• 0.5 oz Cinnamon Syrup
• Garnish: Apple Slice, Cinnamon Stick

To make, build in a glass and heat the ingredients. After heating, stir to combine. Garnish before serving.

Cascade Crisp

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz. Cascade Blonde American Whiskey
• 2 oz. Mott’s Apple Juice
• Splash of club soda

To make, combine all ingredients in a glass. Garnish with a yellow apple slice and a handful of blueberries.

Cranberry Screwdriver

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of Smirnoff Ice Screwdriver
• 2 oz. Cranberry Juice

To make, Pour Smirnoff Ice into a high ball glass and slowly pour cranberry juice on top as a floater.

Cranberry Smash

Nothing says Thanksgiving more than cranberry flavor, which this drink has in spades.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ oz. Tequila Cazadores Blanco
• ½ oz. Disaronno
• 1 oz. Cranberry Puree
• 1 sprig of Fresh Mint
• ½ oz. Fresh Lime Juice
• ½ oz. Simple Syrup
• 2 oz. Cranberry Juice

In a cocktail shaker, combine all ingredients with ice and shake vigorously. Serve over ice, and garnish with a lime twist and cranberry.

Crisp Autumn Apple

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. Angry Orchard Crisp Apple
• 1 oz. Mezcal
• 0.5 oz. Maple Syrup
• 0.25 oz. Lime Juice
• 1 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar

To make, shake and strain the ingredients into either a large cocktail glass or flute.

Deep Cranberry Bliss

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ oz. Deep Eddy Cranberry Vodka
• ¾ oz. ginger syrup
• ¾ oz. Tait Farms spiced apple shrub
• ½ oz. fresh lime juice
• 1 dash of apple bitters
• Fever Tree Club Soda
• Apple infused Cranberries and Lime Wedge for Garnish

To make the ginger syrup, peel and mince ½ pound of ginger. Add to 8 cups water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain and discard the ginger, then add 8 cups of sugar and stir to dissolve.

Then, Shake and strain all of the ingredients into a highball glass, top with a splash of club soda and garnish with the dried cranberries and a lime wedge.

Elevated Vodka Martini

Ingredients:

• 3 Parts Purity Vodka
• 1 Part Spring Water

To make, add all ingredients to a shaker with ice and stir until ice cold. Then strain into a chilled martini glass.

EXIMO Honey Harvest

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ parts Facundo Eximo Rum
• ½ part Honey Turmeric Syrup
• ½ part Lemon juice
• ¼ part Carrot juice
• ¼ part Passion fruit juice
• ¼ part Benedictine liqueur
• Garnish: micro edible flowers, lime wheel and mint

To make the Honey Turmeric syrup, Stir 10 ounces of hot water with 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder and 10 ounces of orange blossom honey until well combined. Allow to cool before using.

To make the cocktail, combine and shake all ingredients vigorously with plenty of ice. Double strain into a rocks glass and garnish with micro edible flowers, lime wheel and mint.

Le Grand Courtâge Fizzy Pear Spiked Punch

Pear is a perfect flavor to compliment cranberry, making this drink recipe a perfect fit with Thanksgiving dinner.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups Pear juice
• 1 750ml Bottle Le Grand Courtâge Blanc de Blancs Brut
• ¾ cup Vanilla vodka
• ½ cup Simple syrup
• Fresh pears for garnish

To make, pour pear juice, vodka and simple syrup into a pitcher and stir to combine. Pop a bottle of Blanc de Blancs Brut and slowly pour the full bottle into the juice mixture in your pitcher. Stir again gently. Fill glasses to the top with ice and serve up. Garnish with slices of pear and adjust the sweetness by adding more or less of the syrup as desired.

Hey Pumpkin

This cocktail, compliments of Smitty from South House in Jersey City, won’t only be perfect because of how festive it is, but it also pairs well with the deliciously sweet desserts at the end of the night.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Slow & Low
• 3/4 aquafaba
• ¾ espresso pumpkin spice syrup
• 3/4 Lemon juice

To make the espresso pumpkin spice syrup, cook 2 cups of 1:1 simple syrup made with brown sugar with 1/4 lb. espresso beans for 10-15 mins. Add in 1 oz. of Pumpkin Pie Spice Extract. allow sitting for 4-5 days.

Then, drain the aquafaba (liquid brine) from a can of chickpeas and set aside. Add all ingredients to a shaker and dry shake. Open the shaker, add ice and then shake again for about 8 seconds. Strain into a coupe glass and let sit for 20 seconds, before topping with Angostura Bitter dots. Add 3-4 espresso beans for garnish.

Holiday Crush

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ oz. Tequila Don Julio Blanco
• ½ oz. Apple Turmeric Cider
• Clove Studded Orange for Garnish
• Grated Nutmeg for Garnish

To make, pour tequila into a camping mug and top with hot apple turmeric cider. Stir to incorporate, then garnish with clove-studded orange zest and a light dusting of nutmeg.

Le Jardin

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz. Grey Goose La Vanille
• 0.75 oz. Lemon Juice
• 0.5 oz. Ginger Syrup
• 0.5 oz. Granny Apple Smith Juice (if not available, 0.75 oz. of fresh apple juice)

To make, juice one lemon. Add the Grey Goose, lemon juice, ginger syrup and apple juice. Shake and strain into a coupe and garnish with grated nutmeg on top.

November’s Kiss

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Brockman’s Gin
• 1 oz. Cranberry and sage-infused simple syrup
• 1 oz. Fresh lime juice
• 1 oz. Cranberry juice
• 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
• 1 pinch of salt
• Dash of powdered sugar

To start, create cranberry and sage-infused simple syrup by combining 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup chopped fresh sage and 2 cups dried cranberries. Boil to melt sugar, and then simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Let rest or another 30 minutes, then strain and discard the cranberries and sage.

Then, put all ingredients into a shaker and shake. Strain into a glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with cranberries, fresh sage and a dash of white powdered sugar.

Percheron Punch

Ingredients:

• 1 765-ml bottle of Virtue Cider Percheron
• 8 cups of fresh apple cider
• 3 12-oz. Bottles of ginger beer
• 1 ½ cups of whiskey
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• A few dashes of orange bitters

To make, combine all ingredients over ice in a punch bowl. Ladle into punch glasses.

Prosecco Cranberry Skewer

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of Santa Margherita Prosecco Superiore DOCG
• 8-10 frozen cranberries
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp water

To make, put cranberries on a skewer and rinse under cold water. Dip the skewered cranberries in water, then roll in granulated sugar. Place the sugared skewers on wax paper and place in the freezer for five minutes. Fill glass ¾ of the way with Prosecco. Place the skewers on top of the glass and serve.

Pumpkin Fever

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Gosling’s Black Seal Rum
• 2 oz. Bols Pumpkin Spice Liqueur
• ¼ oz. Cream
• ¼ oz. Milk
• Cinnamon for garnish
• Sugar for rimming the glass

To make, shake ingredients with ice and strain into a sugar-rimmed, chilled martini glass. Sprinkle with fresh ground cinnamon.

Tito’s Cranberry Mule

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ oz. Tito’s Handmade Vodka
• ½ oz. Lime juice
• ½ oz. Cranberry juice
• 3 oz. Ginger beer
• 3 whole cranberries
• Lime slice

Add all ingredients to Tito’s copper mug filled with ice. Stir and garnish with a lime slice.