7 Thanksgiving Cocktails That Will Truly Wow Your Guests

Looking for cocktails that can become the highlight of your Thanksgiving dinner? Feel the gratitude with these outstanding fall drinks this Thanksgiving.

Yes, it is your favorite time of the year again. With Autumn already here, the frosty weather fun-fest that starts from Halloween and ends with New Year’s Eve has begun. Right in the middle of those celebrations is the crown jewel of holidays, better known as Thanksgiving Day.
One of the perks of attending any party is the free boozy drinks. It is one thing both the guests and the host look forward to. Cocktails can take the edge off the stressful cooking of a grand Thanksgiving meal, so making your drinks delicious is always worthwhile.
For this year’s holiday season, we decided to compile a list of cocktails to enjoy this Thanksgiving. In addition, we also put together three recipes to try.
Why Thanksgiving? Because it is the perfect day to devour some turkey, mashed potatoes, and fall vegetables. The rich and sweet pumpkin pie is also a great accompaniment, right?
You can celebrate Thanksgiving in a variety of ways. Even if you are just having a small get-together, you can always do a few traditional cocktails like martinis and margaritas.

If you want to boost your mixologist prowess and blow the minds of your guests, the following cocktails will make you a Thanksgiving dinner legend.

Making Thanksgiving Cocktails

As making the meal itself is time-consuming, most hosts either make one or two pitchers of a Thanksgiving punch or leave a table of alcohol for the guests, where they can whip up any concoction they want.

If you want your Thanksgiving dinner to be sensational, pay attention to the details. Just as you would want your entrées to stand out, your cocktails should be highlighted too.

If you know that you won’t have time to make your cocktails on the day of the party, consider making them the day before and storing them inside the refrigerator in airtight containers.

Always decide on your cocktails beforehand and get your ingredients a week or two ahead of your party, as some cocktail items are rare and difficult to find.

How Many Types of Cocktails Should You Serve?

Serving a few options of cocktails and making your own signature drink is a great way to make your dinner party memorable.

A rule of thumb you can follow is serving three different drinks at your party and making sure at least one of those drinks is hot. Lower the number of drinks to two, if you must, but never serve only one type of cocktail because your guests will get bored of it real fast.

Aim for the hot cocktail to be either served at the beginning of the party when they come into your home from the frosty outdoors or at the end when they will have to go out into the cold night.

Starter Cocktails

Choose one of the following cocktails to kickstart your Thanksgiving party.

Thanksgiving Margarita

You hear margaritas, you think of parties on the beach or by the pool in the summer. But this delicious thanksgiving margarita has all the amazing autumnal flavors you could want.

By skipping the freshly squeezed lime juice, this recipe takes the summer out of margaritas. With a base of apple cider and pear juice, this fall drink is sure to uplift your guests.

Roasted Grape Cocktail

If you want your starter cocktail to stand out and are looking for something a little more gourmet, this roasted grape cocktail is just the drink you are looking for.

A few glasses or a pitcher of this tinted purple drink will attract anyone to your table of entrées. Not only does it have a unique look, but with the aroma of roasted grape and sage, you get all of these intense fall flavors that will simply blow you away.

This cocktail will take some time to prepare, so make sure you have the time to spare before choosing to serve this. Serve with one roasted grape inside of the container to enhance its visuals. This drink will also pair well with the main course.

Hot Apple Toddy

Want to serve your freezing guests something hot and aromatic the moment they step into the house? This hot apple toddy is the perfect steamy starter.

This is simple enough to make as it only requires a handful of easy-to-find ingredients. Heat up some apple cider and add it to your serving mugs, followed by honey and whiskey.

This fragrant concoction requires cloves and cinnamon sticks to amplify the autumnal flavor and make it more pleasing to the eyes. Add a lemon wedge if desired, or skip it altogether to stay true to your Thanksgiving theme.

Drinks to Serve with the Main Course

Most people like serving red wine with roasted turkey, because let’s face it, what else will work better? However, for other Thanksgiving dinner items, the perfect drink pairing is hard to find.

For example, almost nothing pairs well with green bean casserole! This Thanksgiving classic only goes well with a particular Argentinian white wine made out of torrontés grapes.

The following drinks are versatile enough to pair well with the heavy & savory classics of your Thanksgiving meal.

Cranberry Sangria

This delicious drink combines two classic flavors of Thanksgiving: red wine and cranberries. Make your offering to Dionysus, the ancient Greek god of wine and harvest, with this inspired fall sangria.

This sangria also takes a little more time to create as it requires you to make a syrup using cranberries, sugar, and water. Once the cranberries burst in the heat, put the syrup through a strainer and add it to your sangria pitcher.

Add your wine, brandy, and some orange juice, stir the mix and refrigerate until you serve. Garnishing with fresh cranberries.

Thanksgiving Cocktail

Are you looking for the ultimate cocktail that pairs heavenly with your roasted turkey? Look no further as this Thanksgiving cocktail is the one you have been waiting for.

This unique and delicious four-ingredient cocktail can be served at any time throughout Thanksgiving day, without requiring any hard work.

Keep your ingredients chilled until you make your drink. Put equal parts of gin, apricot brandy, and dry vermouth into your drink mixer. Add some freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste and shake until well combined. Pour into cocktail glasses and serve with a maraschino cherry on top.

Dessert Cocktails

If you are looking for a solid accompaniment to your desserts, take your pick from the following options.

Hot Coffee Cocktail

As your dessert, you might want to serve apple or pumpkin pie. Pairing a drink with your dessert is easy if you know which cocktail can bring out the flavors of your sweet delights.

While beer often goes really well with pumpkin pie, if you are looking for something bitter yet a little more sophisticated, try making a hot coffee cocktail.

Opting for a hot Irish coffee or a mug of french connection coffee are both great options. Most require very few ingredients, and you can whip them up fairly quickly if you have a coffee maker at home.

Add Irish whiskey and brown sugar to your brew to make some hot Irish coffee or go French with some amaretto liqueur and cognac.

Pumpkin Pie Martini

Don’t want to make pumpkin pie and still stay true to the pumpkin spice tradition? This pumpkin pie martini is both a cocktail and a dessert!

Add cream liqueur, pumpkin liqueur, and vanilla vodka into your cocktail shaker. Add enough vanilla syrup to make your cocktail extra sweet. Sprinkle a dash of cinnamon powder and let the drink live up to its pumpkin spice flavors. Shake and serve chilled, and skip out on the dessert altogether.

Bottomline

Now that you know how to whip up these outstanding autumn cocktails, make your next Thanksgiving dinner memorable and worth showing up for.