Entertaining

Thanksgiving Drinks: Festive Cocktails, Mocktails and More…

Posted by Monica Shaw on November 20 2023 at 06:39

Thanksgiving has long been associated with harvest feasting, but what to drink with the holiday spread? While food may normally form the focus for your drink pairing choices, Thanksgiving - now more than ever - is as much about celebrating togetherness as it is about the turkey, stuffing, cranberries, and pumpkin pie.

Here are a few ideas for festive Thanksgiving drinks to help make the occasion even extra special.

Festive Fall Themed Cocktails

Many classic Thanksgiving flavours are also perfect for Thanksgiving cocktails. Think warm spices, cranberries, apple, caramel, and even pumpkin.

Cinnamon Tamarind Margarita - The cinnamon and tamarind transform this normally summer drink into a warming cocktail perfect for autumn celebrations
Pumpkin Spice Old Fashioned - Another classic bourbon cocktail with a spicy autumnal twist
Hanky Panky - the choice Thanksgiving cocktail from our mixologist friends at Mixellany, made with gin, sweet vermouth, and Fernet Branca
Sloe gin silver fizz - perfect if you’ve made your own sloe gin; a twist on a classic sloe gin fizz, shaken with egg white for a silky cocktail
Cranberry Sour - Cranberry sauce in a cocktail - yes! From mixologist Myles Davies.
Classic Manhattan - It’s hard to go wrong with a classic, and this bourbon-based cocktail with orange bitters is an apt match for classic Thanksgiving fare

For more cocktail making advice, check out How to make simple great cocktails from Bristol-based bar consultant and all knowing expert on great cocktails, Kate Hawkings.

Punch Bowls and Pitchers: Thanksgiving drinks for a crowd

Pitcher drinks and punch bowls are perfect for parties, particularly on Thanksgiving when you’re possibly too busy basting the turkey to make cocktails. Here’s a few Thanksgiving pitcher drinks you can make ahead:

Spiced cranberry punch with fresh cranberries, ginger, and fresh citrus
Pumpkin punch optionally served in an actual pumpkin!
Autumn sangria with pomegranate, apple and cinnamon

Read on for some non-alcoholic punch bowl ideas!

Non-alcoholic Thanksgiving drinks

This non-alcoholic autumn Sangria is a bit like an amped up iced tea, with lots of flavour from pomegranate, apple, citrus, and cinnamon.

Rainbow Sherbet Party Punch - It’s not necessarily autumnal, but it’s a classic American family favourite punch bowl recipe that’s fizzy, colourful, and even good for kids.

When it comes to Thanksgiving mocktails, make them extra special by incorporating spices and herbs to provide extra complexity that you won’t otherwise get from the inclusion of booze. For example: Fiona’s Kaffir Lime Mojito, or this Blackberry and Sage Spritzer.

And of course you’ll find loads more mocktail recipes in Fiona’s book How to drink without drinking.

Hot drinks

Cold weather festivities are the perfect excuse for hot beverages like mulled wine or mulled cider (which you can also easily make non-alcoholic). And let’s not forgot hot rum punch and hot toddies!

Wine and beer

Of course, wine and beer are perfectly legitimate drink options and may just be the easiest choice if you’re planning a large gathering. In which case, what to choose that can cope with the myriad flavours on the table? You’ll find some ideas in these posts from the archive:

Top image by 5PH at shutterstock.com

If you’d like be able to check out all the food and wine pairings on the site you can buy a bundle of credits here to access my premium content.

And/or for regular updates on what and where I’ve been eating, drinking and travelling sign up for my weekly newsletter Eat This, Drink That, Live Well.