23 Thanksgiving Cocktails, Because One Is Never Enough

Thanksgiving isn't just abig day of eating—it often involves enjoying a few adult beverages as well. If you're looking for a good cocktail recipe to try out this year—perfect for sipping and showing off while making a holiday toast on Zoom—we've got you covered. From a popcorn-flavored spiked cider to a woodsy gin punch and a wintry French 75 variation, these are some of our favorite cocktails to bring out on the big day.

Hot Caramel-Popcorn Bourbon Apple Cider

Vicky Wasik

Thanksgiving just isn't right without a mug of spiked cider, and this recipe makes the classic even better. Rather than using plain old bourbon, we first infuse the whiskey with sweet, nutty caramel popcorn. In a nod to hot buttered rum, we float a pat of butter on top of the drink for a rich finish.

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Into the Woods

Vicky Wasik

If you think you're going to be in the mood for cider, but you don't want a warm cocktail, try this classy holiday drink. Aside from the bourbon, ginger beer, and hard cider, all you'll need is some ice, Angostura bitters, a few wedges of lemon.

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Everything Nice (Spiced-Rum Coffee With Butterscotch Whipped Cream)

Vicky Wasik

If every Thanksgiving finds you struggling to revive yourself from a food coma, spiked coffee is just what you need. This recipe uses a few ounces of rum and an easy homemade butterscotch whipped cream, but you could also try a version withFrangelico,Fernet, oramaro and bourbon.

Get the recipe for Everything Nice (Spiced-Rum Coffee With Butterscotch Whipped Cream)
Turkey and Sage Cocktail

Autumn Giles

The name alone makes Wild Turkey 101 an appropriate Thanksgiving spirit, but that's not the only reason we use it in this cocktail. An overproof bourbon stands up best to the intense sage, and Wild Turkey's caramel and vanilla notes perfectly complement the pumpkin. Store-bought pumpkin butter varies in sweetness, so make sure to taste it before you use it here (or go with ahomemade version).

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闪闪发光的波旁梨鸡尾酒

Autumn Giles

Premade mixers are a godsend on Thanksgiving—you can do most of the heavy lifting early in the day and minimize the amount of work you have to do when it's time to drink. Here, we make the mixer with clove-scented roasted pears, bourbon, and maple syrup, then top it off with sparkling wine to serve.

Get the recipe for Sparkling Bourbon Pear Cocktail
Charred Lemon Gin Sparkler

Autumn Giles

The mixer for this cocktail combines gin with rosemary, sugar, and the juice from charred lemons, which develop a remarkably rich, complex, and mellower flavor after being seared in a skillet. As with the previous recipe, all you have to do to serve is top the mixer with sparkling wine—though a sprig of fresh rosemary is a nice finishing touch.

Get the recipe for Charred Lemon Gin Sparkler
5-Spice Bourbon Punch

Elana Lepkowski

This bourbon punch, which pairs whiskey with lemon juice and five-spice syrup and tops off the mixture with club soda, is refreshing enough for those of you who experience Thanksgiving in a warmer climate. Forget about the powdered mixes at the store and make the syrup with whole spices instead.

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9 Ladies Dancing Punch

Elana Lepkowski

If you live somewhere with more seasonally appropriate Thanksgiving temperatures, this punch might be just what you want. It's packed with intense flavors perfect for a cold day: smoky blended Scotch, aromatic chai tea, nutty sherry, and spicy Angostura bitters. We sweeten the punch with a woodsy vanilla-cinnamon syrup.

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Smoky Sage Punch

Elana Lepkowski

在这发烟性s punch comes from lapsang souchong tea, which we mix with gin, orange curaçao,oleo-saccharum, and sage syrup. The sage syrup can be made up to a week ahead of time, and the oleo-saccharum can be made the night before, meaning you'll have minimal prep to do on Thanksgiving Day itself.

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Old Fashioned Cocktails

Vicky Wasik

Making an individualOld Fashioned只需要一两分钟,但当你juggling a million other tasks on Thanksgiving, it's convenient to have a batch ready ahead of time. Along with the whiskey, simple syrup, and bitters, add a few ounces of water to make up for the fact that you aren't diluting the cocktail by stirring it with ice. For a fun variation, check out ourpeanut-flavored Old Fashioned in a bottle, too.

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Brown-Butter Old Fashioned

Vicky Wasik

An easy way to update a classic Old Fashioned cocktail is by fat-washing the bourbon with toasty, nutty browned butter, which adds richness while mellowing things out. This technique is great for turning a low quality whiskey into something special.

Get the recipe for Brown-Butter Old Fashioned
Old Timber (Rye Cocktail With Fernet)

Vicky Wasik

Another drink for fans of strong whiskey cocktails, this one pairs rye with fernet and triple sec. Your first instinct is probably to reach for a bottle of Fernet-Branca, but its minty, medicinal flavor doesn't work here—instead, go for something with a warmer, more cinnamon-forward flavor, like Jelínek Czech-style fernet.

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Drunk Uncle (Scotch and Cynar Cocktail)

Vicky Wasik

A savory twist on theBoulevardier, this cocktail uses peaty Islay Scotch in place of the bourbon or rye and swaps out the Campari for vegetal Cynar. The vermouth we prefer is Martini & Rossi Bianco, which has a citrusy, herbal flavor reminiscent of Lillet Blanc.

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Tangy Cranberry–Black Pepper Shrub Cocktail

Elana Lepkowski

I can tell you from experience that it's good to have some Thanksgiving cocktails in your repertoire that are lighter on the booze. This one gets all of its alcohol from sparkling wine, which we flavor with orange bitters and a sweet-tart, spicy cranberry–black pepper shrub. The shrub will last up to a month, so make it now if you really want to get a head start on the Turkey Day prep.

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A Minnesota Good-Bye (Cranberry French 75)

Vicky Wasik

This twist on theFrench 75gets its cranberry flavor from a cordial made by simmering the fruit in a simple syrup with cinnamon sticks, star anise, cardamom, cloves, and orange peel. To make the drink, just mix equal parts cordial and pink grapefruit juice with gin, then top with sparkling wine.

Get the recipe for A Minnesota Good-Bye (Cranberry French 75)
Sparkling Apple Sherry Cocktail

Elana Lepkowski

This sparkling cocktail combines nutty oloroso sherry with apple in two forms: muddled fresh apple and Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy. We sweeten the cocktail with Mandarine Napoléon liqueur; if that proves hard to find, feel free to use Grand Marnier or a good dry orange curaçao instead.

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Portmanteau

Vicky Wasik

Here's another warming sparkler, one that has the added benefit of coming together in mere seconds: Slightly sweet ruby port gets mixed with tart pomegranate juice, orange bitters, and sparkling wine, and the mixture is given a spritz of lemon just before serving.

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Shagbark's Sangaree (Madeira and Lemon Cocktail)

Vicky Wasik

The hardest part of making this easy-drinking sipper is finding the right Madeira—you want to find one labeled "Malmsey" to get the right sweet, nutty flavor. Beyond that, there's nothing more to the cocktail than simple syrup, lemon juice, and a dusting of nutmeg.

Get the recipe for Shagbark's Sangaree (Madeira and Lemon Cocktail)
Sweater Weather Punch (Scotch and Cranberry Cocktail)

Emily Dryden

A combination of unsweetened cranberry juice and Scotch whiskey makes this a tart and warming big-batch cocktail that's ideal for fall. Marmalade syrup balances the cocktail's sharpness, for a smooth drink you'll want more of, right away.

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Cranberry in a Can (Batched Rye-Cranberry Shrub Cocktail)

© Kelly Puleio 2018, resized for publication

This cocktail is perfect for Thanksgiving because you can make the easy cinnamon-spiced cranberry mixer ahead of time, long before any of the chaos in the kitchen sets in. When the time comes, just add the booze and serve pitcher-style.

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Make-Ahead Fig and Cinnamon Punch

Vicky Wasik

In this big-batch rum punch, dried figs and Madeira balance out the slight bitterness of black tea. The best part is that you can put this easy drink together in advance, so on Thanksgiving Day, all you need to do is serve it—and drink it.

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Ridealong

Vicky Wasik

A lively riff on the Sidecar, this citrusy sipper is bright make-ahead option for Turkey Day— just make sure not to add the ice until the end. Spritz each filled coupe with a grapefruit peel garnish before serving and you're good to go.

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Dickory Dock

Vicky Wasik

认为这是一个muchmore sophisticated vodka-cranberry, with fresh and bright lemon juice and some orange bitters contributing a degree of complexity entirely absent from the dive bar staple. Rosemary honey adds aromatic sweetness and is, thankfully, extremely easy to make. Better yet, it also stars in our两只斑鸠cocktail, so it's nice to have extra on hand.

Get the recipe for Dickory Dock

From a popcorn-flavored spiked cider to a woodsy gin punch and a wintry French 75 variation, here are 23 cocktails to pair with your turkey this Thanksgiving.

Hot Caramel-Popcorn Bourbon Apple Cider

Into the Woods

Everything Nice (Spiced-Rum Coffee With Butterscotch Whipped Cream)

Turkey and Sage Cocktail

闪闪发光的波旁梨鸡尾酒

Charred Lemon Gin Sparkler

5-Spice Bourbon Punch

9 Ladies Dancing Punch

Smoky Sage Punch

Old Fashioned Cocktails

Brown-Butter Old Fashioned

Old Timber (Rye Cocktail With Fernet)

Drunk Uncle (Scotch and Cynar Cocktail)

Tangy Cranberry–Black Pepper Shrub Cocktail

A Minnesota Good-Bye (Cranberry French 75)

Sparkling Apple Sherry Cocktail

Portmanteau

Shagbark's Sangaree (Madeira and Lemon Cocktail)

Sweater Weather Punch (Scotch and Cranberry Cocktail)

Cranberry in a Can (Batched Rye-Cranberry Shrub Cocktail)

Make-Ahead Fig and Cinnamon Punch

Ridealong

Dickory Dock

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