55 Thanksgiving Cocktails for a Festive Celebration
Updated on October 21, 2025
You’ll find all your favorite fall flavors, including apple, cranberry, ginger and more.
Our Best Thanksgiving Cocktail Ideas
Whether you’re hosting a small dinner or an all-out, friends-and-family feast, you’re going to need a few fall cocktails to sip on throughout the day. That’s where these recipes come in. We’ve rounded up options for every holiday hosting situation. You’ll find fizzy mixed drinks and pitchers of sangria to pair with appetizers, classic cocktails to serve alongside your turkey and cozy sips that are right at home with whatever Thanksgiving desserts you’ve got planned. With so many delicious options, where do you start? We recommend this cider-based cocktail that’s boosted with brandy, cinnamon sticks and clove-studded orange wedges. Served warm with a generous dollop of whipped cream it’s a welcome addition to any Turkey Day get-together.
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Pomegranate Champagne Cocktails
Ree knows that all it takes are a handful of ingredients and a bit of Champagne to make a stunning sip, worthy of any holiday celebration.
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The Maple Perfect Manhattan
A slight twist on the traditional Manhattan, Jeff Mauro's cocktail calls for a spoonful of maple syrup to sweeten the mix of rye whiskey and dry vermouth.
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Honey Bourbon Cider Cocktail
Warm, spiced and just sweet enough, this honey bourbon cider cocktail is a cozy crowd-pleaser that brings autumn flavor to your Thanksgiving toast.
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Champagne Ginger Cocktail
With a splash of bubbly and a kick of ginger, this crisp champagne cocktail adds a festive sparkle to your Thanksgiving celebration.
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Photo: Alice Gao ©
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Hot Mulled Cider
Ina serves her warming mulled cider in clear mugs with cinnamon sticks for garnish. In just twenty minutes, you can prepare twelve servings of this classic autumnal beverage.
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Spiced Cabernet
Spruce up a simple Cabernet by warming it with cinnamon, cloves and navel orange slices. Served hot by the mugful, it's a soothing substitute for a standard glass of wine.
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Cranberry Champagne Cocktail
This fall-inspired fizz combines Champagne with sweetened cranberry juice and lime wedges for a refreshingly fruity Thanksgiving sipper.
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Sidecar Martini
Giada's riff on a sidecar cocktail adds sunny limoncello to the shaker, sweet-and-sour mix and a lime zest and sugar-dipped rim.
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Thanksgiving Mules
These cozy cocktails feature many of the holiday's best flavors (tart cranberry, rich maple and spicy ginger) for a perfectly balanced sip that's perfect alongside Thanksgiving appetizers.
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Concord Grape Royal
For his intensely flavored royal, Alton makes a thick purple syrup of Concord grape juice, rosemary and balsamic vinegar. Topped with rose champagne and orange bitters, it's a complex cocktail that pairs well with savory Thanksgiving dishes.
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Ginger Cranberry Cocktail
Homemade ginger syrup adds a spicy edge to this ruby-hued sipper that can be made with either vodka or gin. Crushed frozen cranberries keep the cocktail nicely tart and chilled.
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Spiked Apple Cider Cocktails
Garnished with Granny Smith apple skewers, this cider-based drink gains depth from dark rum and cinnamon Schnapps for an adult twist on a seasonal treat.
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Spiced Bourbon, Beer and Maple Martinis
Chilled bourbon and dark beer get the sweet and spicy treatment with the addition of pure maple syrup and dried red chiles. Freshly grated nutmeg adds a hint of fall flavor atop each martini.
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Alton's 5-Star Hot Toddy
A slow cooker simplifies the quintessential hot toddy made with lemon, sugar and Scotch.
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Thanksgiving's a Breeze Seabreezes
Simple and satisfying, this fruity pitcher of orange juice, cranberry juice and vodka comes together quickly for a last-minute turkey day tipple.
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Gingersnap Cocktail
Rachael uses ginger liqueur, freshly grated ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg to reimagine the spicy autumn cookie in cocktail form.
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Alton's Mulled Wine
Brewed in a coffee percolator, Alton's mulled wine is deeply spiced and aromatic. He adds allspice berries, black peppercorns, star anise and cinnamon sticks to this honey-sweetened sipper.
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Cranberry Bourbon Cocktail
You only need three ingredients for these festive cocktails, making them the perfect choice when you need to whip something up last minute!
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Pumpkin Pie Martini
Crushed graham crackers rim the glass of this martini that tastes just like the star of your dessert spread: pumpkin pie.
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Sunny's Fruity Limoncello Spritzer
A final splash of club soda adds sparkle to this shaken spritzer of limoncello, whiskey and orange juice that mimics the shades of a fall sunset.
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Classic Pisco Sour
The base of this frothy sour is Pisco, a traditional South American grape brandy that blends beautifully with lime juice and angostura bitters.
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Bourbon Negroni
The classic Campari-based Negroni gets a sophisticated update with fig- and pear-infused bourbon and a sweet hint of vanilla bean.
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Frosty the Caramel Apple Pie
Enhance this apple cider and butterscotch Schnapps cocktail with a classic fall garnish: an apple slice.
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Hoppin' Hot Scotch
Turn basic hot chocolate into an adults-only drink with a splash of butterscotch Schnapps and amaretto.
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Chai Yai Yai
Brew a bag of your favorite chai tea, then add bourbon, amaretto and Grand Marnier to turn it into a celebratory drink.
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Mulled Red Wine Sangria
Bobby spikes Spanish red wine with orange juice and brandy and serves it warm with citrus slices for a steamy, autumn-inspired spin on sangria.
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Sparkling Cranberry Quencher
Seltzer adds sparkle to this sweet-tart blend of vanilla vodka and red cranberry juice.
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Toasted Cider
Sandra's apple and pumpkin-flavored cider complements a Thanksgiving meal, with or without alcohol. Serve hot in heatproof mugs with a shot of spiced rum, if desired.
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Honey Punch
The honey really shines through in this refreshing vodka cocktail and compliments the sweet apricot nectar and the subtle lemony notes.
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American Pie Cocktail
Guy's whiskey cocktail tastes just like fresh apple pie with sweet cranberries thanks to the apple liquor and cranberry juice.
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Concord and Cranberry Kir Royale
A simple, homemade cranberry syrup (infused with a touch of orange) gives these sparkling wine-based cocktails they’re pretty color and fall flavor.
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Peartini
It's easy to forget pears around Thanksgiving with all the hype surrounding apples and pumpkins, but here, the sweet fall fruit takes center stage. Pour the frosty pear and vodka mixture into a chilled martini glasses and garnish with fresh pear slices.
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Apple Cider Shandy
Combine your favorite lager with sparkling apple cider for a refreshing beverage that's ready in a snap.
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Harvest Margarita
This seasonal margarita is refreshing and simple to make. Mix it and put it in pitchers before your guests arrive so you don't have to worry about being on drink duty the whole evening.
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Sunny's Chai Tea
With black tea bags on hand, Sunny demonstrates how to make those Thanksgiving specialty spices stretch even further. Black peppercorns, leftover cloves for your ham and pumpkin pie spice come together to make the perfect spice blend for warm chai tea.
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Photo: Anna Williams
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Orange-Spice Cocoa
This Thanksgiving, bring together dinner guests of all ages with this decadent cocoa recipe from Food Network Kitchen. Kids and adults alike will adore this warm chocolate drink with a touch of citrus flavor.
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Photo: Con Poulos
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Sage Limeade
Use leftover sage sprigs from your turkey or gratin seasoning to flavor this four-ingredient lemon-lime refresher.
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Spiked Jellied Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry sauce out of the can gets a lot more exciting when it's spiked. Add a shot of vodka to jellied cranberry sauce, let it set in the can and serve by the slice.
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Mulled Apple Cider Cocktail
Cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon transform a simple sparkling wine cocktail into a celebration of fall flavors and spice.
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Ginger Rum Shandies
"This drink is a guaranteed hit — the sweetness of the ginger and the warmth of the rum make it perfect for the holiday season," Chuck Hughes says.
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Photo: Marcus Nilsson
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Maple-Bourbon Coolers
Sweetened with maple syrup and topped off with sparkling wine, this cocktail will make a bourbon fan out of anyone.
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Whiskey-Cranberry Slushes
Make a grown-up slush with whiskey, cranberry and pomegranate juices. Add fresh diced cranberries for over-the-top flavor and texture.
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Pear Cocktail
"During the fall, there is nothing better than a ripe pear," Spike Mendelsohn says. "This cocktail highlights the pear's great flavors, and the bacon makes the drink absolutely delicious."
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Aperol Sparkler
"It's unique, refreshing, inexpensive to make and the kind of thing you can drink throughout the day," Anne Burrell says.
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Sparkling Ginger Cider
Made with fresh ginger and mint, this sparkling cocktail is a crowd-pleaser. Spike it with brandy and hard cider; for the kids, substitute ginger ale.
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Flor Delice
Garnish this dry manzanilla sherry and tequila cocktail with a marasca cherry instead of a fluorescent-red maraschino.
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Spicy Holiday Lemonade
"During a time of year when everything is heavy and done to excess, I always find success when I bring out a summery lemonade, in holiday form," says Alex Guarnaschelli.
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Cranberry-Walnut Martini
"This cocktail sings Thanksgiving," Beau MacMillan says. "It has both sweet and savory elements, and it complements all the seasonal ingredients that symbolize the holiday."
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Photo: Anna Williams
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Marmalade Cocktails
Gin and dry vermouth balance out sweet orange marmalade in this festive cocktail that's perfect paired with a waffle brunch.
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Rooster Apple Sour
The key to this seasonal drink is homemade apple jam: Simmer honeycrisp apples and cinnamon sticks until soft. Don't forget to drop in a dried apple slice as a finishing touch.
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Photo: STEPHEN MURELLO
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Dolan's Delicious Hot Buttered Rum
This rich, warming drink is made with rum, nutmeg, milk, brown sugar and...guessed it...a pat of real butter.
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Spanish Cranberry Sparkling Martini
Bobby's homemade cranberry vodka takes center stage in this autumnal sparkling cocktail. He starts by preparing a cranberry-flavored simple syrup, then adds vodka. It's best to prepare the mixture a few days in advance—the longer it sits, the more the cranberry flavor will come through.
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Rosemary Lemon Spritzer
Fresh, herbal and citrusy, this easy spritzer makes a refreshing start to a Thanksgiving meal.
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Cider Punch
Served up warm or on the rocks with either brandy or bourbon, this apple cider punch easily allows for personalization.
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