43 Thanksgiving Cocktails to Pair With Turkey, Pie, and Beyond
As you start planning for the holiday, it’s easy to forget about Thanksgiving cocktails—and nonalcoholic drinks. But a well-chosen Thanksgiving drink can make every part of the celebratory meal taste even better. This list of festive cocktail recipes gives you options for every spirit on your bar cart: rye whiskey or bourbon, gin or vodka, mezcal or scotch, and others. Kick off Turkey Day with a plate of hors d’oeuvres and something crisp and fizzy; finish with a slice of pie and a nightcap that’s deep and luscious. (We’re guessing you might not have room for the retro creamy Pink Squirrel, but if you do it’s an excellent choice.) Choose a drink to sip during the meal itself that’ll add a little brightness to dinner, whether from a touch of lemon, lime, tart cranberry, or pomegranate. Scroll down to pick this year’s signature Thanksgiving cocktails—and feel free to delegate the actual drink making to one of your guests.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou2/43Lipstick Memory
Like your drinks bold and tart? Then this Campari and cranberry cocktail will be your new Thanksgiving favorite. Add extra aroma by grazing the rosemary garnish over the flame of a gas stove. There’s no high-proof spirit here, just Campari and sparkling wine—plus tangy unsweetened cranberry juice—so it’s a slightly lower-ABV way to ease into the holiday meal.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich3/43Jersey Lightning
Manhattan variations feel like an elegant pick for the holiday, and this one—made with apple brandy instead of whiskey—is so easy you’ll be able to make it from memory while you keep one eye on that stuffing and the other on the football game.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne4/43Bizzy Izzy Highball
Serve some festive snacks and some cocktail-hour conversation with this historical drink, which dates back 100 years or so. We find that Thanksgiving cocktails with sherry in them whet the appetite nicely, and this drink is really tasty with salty hors d’oeuvres like spiced olives and charcuterie.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Drew Aichele5/43Life of the Party
Being a gracious host includes thinking about non-alcoholic options. This slightly bitter punch—made with Ghia, cinnamon, pomegranate juice, non-alcoholic sparkling wine, and lemon—will be a hit with everyone, teetotaler or not.
Photo & Food Styling by Joseph De Leo6/43Remember the Alimony
This fall cocktail is as easy as one-two-three, but it’s not a negroni. It combines gin with sherry and bittersweet, vegetal Cynar. It’s the kind of cocktail you want to sip slowly, gathered around a Thanksgiving bonfire with your family—or sitting near the smoker while you cook your turkey low and slow outdoors.
Photo by Andy Sewell7/43Buck Buck Mule
Muddling cucumber into the shaker helps this pre-dinner cocktail go seamlessly with savory snacks like pickled shrimp or chili crab dip.
8/43Everything Good Cocktail
If you’re searching of the best Thanksgiving cocktails, it’s worth thinking about when you’ll be serving them during the course of the long meal. This chocolaty mezcal drink was designed with Thanksgiving desserts in mind. Adding water along with the ingredients and then freezing the batched drink (with a little water in the mix) means you won’t need to shake each serving over ice.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton9/43Apples and Oranges
It’s easy to spike your cider, but this combo of hot apple cider and Averna is something really special. Think of it as the meeting of hot buttered rum and caramel apples. Sweetened with citrusy Grand Marnier and enriched with salted butter, it’s the perfect hot drink for a chilly Thanksgiving. Kick off your celebration with a mug full, or make a batch for sipping alongside a slice of apple pie.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne12/43Aperitif Scorpion Bowls
Lower-ABV Thanksgiving cocktail recipes make sense for a gathering that starts early and ends late. This take on the Scorpion bowl ditches the rum and lets you choose your favorite amaro and sweet vermouth instead. (We like it with Cynar, which is herbal and vegetal and not too sweet.)
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou13/43Paradise Apple
This bar-worthy fall cocktail will really impress your guests. Dry riesling brightens up a mix of fresh apple cider and bourbon in this intricately flavored drink.
Photo by Lizzie Munro14/43Jasmine
This simple, thirst-quenching concoction is a favorite among bartenders in the know. It’s made with gin, fresh lemon juice, Cointreau, and just a touch of bittersweet Campari.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton15/43Fleming Fizz
Sparkling wine always gets us in a celebratory mood. But this cocktail—a riff on the Penicillin—packs more of a punch than your standard Bellini or spritz. It’s bright, fizzy, fired up with fresh ginger, and enriched with smoky scotch.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert16/43Applejack Fix
Despite the name, the base of this drink is 100-proof apple brandy, not anything labeled applejack. Put someone to work making crushed ice if you don’t have a fridge or countertop ice maker that dispenses the stuff.
Photo by Paul H. Christian, Food Styling by Michele Figliuolo17/43Brown Derby
This easy classic cocktail combines bourbon with a touch of honey and some fresh grapefruit juice for a mix that’s perfectly balanced. A grapefruit twist adds extra aroma. Be sure to shake this drink with lots of ice until well chilled. (You’ll know it’s ready when the outside of the cocktail shaker feels cold to the touch.)
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert18/43Whiskey Daisy
Essentially, a daisy is a sour in which the sweet stuff is a liqueur (instead of just sugar). If you like margaritas but you’re looking for whiskey drinks for Thanksgiving, start here. Read this first if you’re not sure if those cocktail cherries in the fridge are still okay to eat.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton19/43Bittersweet Symphony
This luscious take on the negroni gets an extra splash of gin and uses mellow Aperol instead of Campari. Get out your fancy coupe glasses for serving this drink; if you want to chill them in advance, just fill them with ice water until you’re ready to pour in the cocktail.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Sean Dooley21/43The Godfather Sour
This swanky riff on the amaretto sour invites a little scotch to the party. For an Instagram-worthy look, serve this subtly smoky cocktail with a big ice cube and a fancy orange rosette garnish.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Anna Surbatovich, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson22/43Thanksgiving Sangria
If you’re looking for Thanksgiving alcoholic drinks that just scream fall, this punch made with sparkling cider tinged with allspice, ginger, cinnamon, and pomegranate is the way to go. It couldn’t be easier to throw together, and it’ll save you from having to make Thanksgiving cocktails one by one. Garnish each glass with a cinnamon stick if you like, or put cranberries onto a cute cocktail pick for each drink.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton23/43Old-Fashioned
Sip this classic whiskey drink at the end of the night, alongside a slice of pumpkin pie. Using simple syrup means the drink won’t be grainy, though some people prefer a muddled sugar cube for sweetening. Thanksgiving is a great time to experiment with old-fashioneds made with different whiskeys—or any other favorite spirits you might have on hand.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell25/43Pomegranate Prosecco Punch
This easy punch recipe from the final days of Gourmet combines pomegranate juice, fresh lime, Prosecco, and clementines. Essentially, it’s all the fall flavors in a single punchbowl. You can make the punch (leaving out the wine till the last minute) the day before Thanksgiving and stash it in your fridge next to the cranberry sauce. (You’re making that ahead too, right?)
Photo by Kelly Puleio28/43Bitter French
This brisk and bubbly gin drink is perfect for a holiday toast—or a post-Thanksgiving leftovers brunch. Campari adds a bit of bitterness not unlike a touch of cranberry relish.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell29/43Classic Dry Martini
Get out your relish tray and start your classy Thanksgiving celebration with a round of dry martinis—or try a savory gibson or an herbal vesper. This recipe is a great starting point, but some guests may prefer a little more vermouth—or a splash of olive brine.
By Denny Culbert30/43Howitzer
This sparkler was inspired by the French 75, but it uses bourbon instead of gin along with the festive fizz. Fresh lemon juice and a few drops of peach bitters contribute fruity flavors that balance the drink. Don’t feel like you need to use true Champagne here—any sparkling wine that you enjoy sipping on its own will work, and you can serve the rest of the bottle to anyone who prefers their wine unadorned.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne31/43Jungle Bird
This is one of our favorite Campari drinks—something wonderful happens when you mix the red bitter with rum and a touch of fresh pineapple juice. Serve with stuffed dates and spiced pecans before the big feast.
Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott32/43Cran Royale
A homemade cranberry syrup infused with fresh thyme puts this sparkling cocktail recipe into fancy-party-worthy status. This one’s a good option for drinking with roast turkey and mashed potatoes.
Photo by Kelly Puleio33/43Perfect Circle
Repeat after us: some of the very best Thanksgiving cocktails keep things simple. The easy combo of sharp Campari and refreshing fino sherry makes for a spritz that quenches your thirst and works wonderfully with salted nuts, potato chips, olives, or aged cheeses.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Laura Rege34/43Kitty Highball
Photo by Alice Gao, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Diana Yen35/43Champagne Punch with Ginger, Lemon, and Sage
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell36/43Scotchy Boulevardiers
If making cocktails seems like added stress when there’s already a lot for the host to juggle, you need a big-batch drink recipe like this one. That way, you can focus on the turkey’s internal temperature. Feel free to divide the recipe in half for a smaller Thanksgiving crowd.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton37/43Penicillin
This scotch drink is for ginger lovers. It’s spicy, smoky, fresh, and warming all at once.
Cedric Angeles39/43The Long Hello
This floral, slightly fizzy apple-Champagne punch can be made even more festive with a fruit-filled, decorative ice ring inside the punch bowl. Grate some fresh nutmeg over each glass.
Photo by Denny Culbert40/43Celery Stalker
This vegetal take on the French 75 is just a slight departure from the classic, using sparkling wine, gin, lime juice, fresh cucumber, and celery bitters. It’s a great partner for Thanksgiving appetizers or the meal itself.
Sheri Giblin41/43Mint Apple Crisp
Muddled Granny Smith apple plus fresh mint and sake give this vodka cocktail a fresh, green-apple crispness that's a perfect complement to Thanksgiving dinner.
Photographs by Emma Fishman42/43Cranberry Rum Punch
This easy punch has everything you need in a Thanksgiving-themed cocktail: cranberries, rum, hard cider, ginger ale, and fresh lime juice.
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Judy Haubert43/43Fino Martini
We’ve pretty much covered all the Thanksgiving cocktails you need, but we couldn’t leave off this lovely twist on the martini, made with fino sherry instead of dry vermouth. Garnish your martini glass—coupes are fine too—with a lemon twist or an olive, and serve with a classic shrimp cocktail to kick off the celebration with a bang.
Looking for more drink options for the big day? Click through for more punch recipes, simple three-ingredient drinks, and our favorite tequila, rum, or rye whiskey cocktails. Going for another slice of pie after doing the dishes? Grab the leftover heavy cream and pour yourself this White Russian too—or plan ahead with a batch of this Pumpkin Spice Latte Milk Punch, made with pumpkin purée, fresh spices, whiskey, and rum.
