35 Festive Thanksgiving Cocktails That Will Liven Up The Adults' Table
This year, we're thankful for delicious cocktails.
This Thanksgiving, we're especially grateful for these fun, delicious Thanksgiving cocktail recipes. Sure, you could absolutely break open your favorite bottle of wine, but we think these cocktails make a special occasion like Thanksgiving dinner all the more special. With our fruity and fall-inspired cocktail recipes that taste like pecan pie, pumpkin, apples, and cranberries, you'll have drinks FAR more festive than a plain ol' bottle of red.
The holidays are the perfect time to brush up on your home bartending skills. And what better way to greet your guests than with an apple cider mimosa? We love mixing up a signature cocktail to complement our Thanksgiving feast, as it adds that certain special something to the table. Thankfully, the most classic cocktails also happen to be some of the simplest too. Our recipes for our Big Apple Manhattans, pumpkin spice mules, and brown sugar old-fashioneds only need three ingredients from your bar cart, if you can believe it!
And if you're in the mood for a warming nightcap, we've got plenty of drinks that will warm you up on a crisp night, like mulled wine, a Hot Toddy, or an Irish coffee. We also have tons of tips from bartenders on how you can make the best holiday cocktails, so you can stay merry all season long.
Pro tip: These fall-flavored cocktails taste even better with our favorite Thanksgiving apps or a slice of pumpkin pie or apple pie. Crowd still thirsty? For more festive drinks, try our amazing Thanksgiving punch ideas and fall sangrias!
Cranberry Orange Whiskey Sour
We crave cranberry cocktails all season long, and this is our go-to cocktail this holiday season. It's warm and spicy from the whiskey and ginger beer, but refreshing and tart from the cranberry and citrus.
Get the Cranberry Orange Whiskey Sour recipe.
Pumpkin Spice Mules
Moscow mules are one of our favorite drinks, but once the leaves start to change, we can't get pumpkin spice off our minds. We turned the classic drink into this fall version so we can have both all pumpkin season long. If you can't find pumpkin pie vodka, regular vodka will work well too!
Get the Pumpkin Spice Mules recipe.
Big Apple Manhattan
This Manhattan uses apple brandy to give it a fruity twist. It's a strong enough drink to handle any and all holiday hustling, and is perfect served with any of our apple desserts.
Get the Big Apple Manhattan recipe.
Mulled Wine
Making this mulled wine couldn't be easier: Combine a bottle of red wine with some orange slices, warm spices, honey, and brandy, and let it simmer for 10 minutes. THAT'S IT. We like using dry varietals like Merlot, Malbec, or Cabernet Sauvignon. But really, your favorite bottle, whatever it may be, should work!
Get the Mulled Wine recipe.
Apple Cider Mimosas
Mimosas are the brunch cocktail; however, as the weather gets colder, we all start looking toward more comforting, autumnal flavors. This is the perfect, fall twist on the classic and gives you another reason to celebrate the season.
Get the Apple Cider Mimosas recipe.
Irish Mule
We love how the oaky, vanilla-y flavors that come from your favorite whiskey are so well complemented by the fresh ginger and lime in a classic Moscow Mule. It’s the perfect slight twist on the classic that will surprise your guests and have them singing your praises (or maybe writing a limerick about you).
Get the Irish Mule recipe.
Nutty Irishman
The sweetness and subtle nuttiness of the hazelnut liqueur Frangelico is the perfect partner to rich Irish cream. The almost inevitable whipped cream mustache that follows is highly worth it.
Get the Nutty Irishman recipe.
Washington Apple Shot
The Washington Apple Shot is a breed of the Washington Apple Cocktail made with whiskey—typically Canadian-style—apple schnapps, and cranberry juice. We added pomegranate to jazz it up! It’s a drink that’s crisp, pungent, and refreshing, one that you want to sip on for a little while.
Get the Washington Apple Shot recipe.
Pecan Pie Martini
These martinis might look innocent, but trust us, they pack a punch. If you're looking for a slightly more tame holiday cocktail, check out another one of our favorites: our classic mulled wine.
Get the Pecan Pie Martini recipe.
Appletini
Apple schnapps brings sweet-tart green apple flavor, while a splash of calvados (apple brandy) gives it a fiery kick. Warning: These babies are STRONG, so don't plan on going anywhere after consuming. 😂
Get the Appletini recipe.
Pumpkin Pie Pudding Shots
Pumpkin pie? Pudding shots? Obviously the two belong together! Fireball adds some more cinnamon flavor to the shots, but you can sub with all vodka if you prefer. But if Fireball is your thing, then you might as well serve these shots right along with a Fireball pumpkin pie.
Get the Pumpkin Pie Pudding Shots recipe.
Thanksgiving Jungle Juice
We love a big-batch cocktail because it not only saves you time at the home bar, but they're so easy to mix up. This classed up, festive spin on jungle juice is for when you want to be the designated drunk uncle at Thanksgiving.
Get the Thanksgiving Jungle Juice recipe.
Apple Cider Mojitos
Mint + cider might sound weird, but it's surprisingly refreshing! If you want to take it in a more autumnal direction, try rosemary or thyme instead.
Get the Apple Cider Mojitos recipe.
Irish Coffee
Coffee cocktails are the ideal double hit of caffeine and booze straight to the system, perfect for the start or end of the night. Irish coffee is one the most classic coffee mixed drinks that just requires a combination of sweetened coffee, Irish whiskey, and (of course) whipped cream. It's cozy, delicious, and incredibly easy to make.
Get the Irish Coffee recipe.
Hot Buttered Rum
Hot buttered rum is essentially the OG butter beer. They both are golden, richly sweet, and have that beautiful head that will give you a silly mustache when drink it. Add in rum, butter, sugar, ice cream, and healthy dose of cinnamon, and you've got heartwarming wintertime magic in a glass.
Get the Hot Buttered Rum recipe.
Cranberry Jell-O Shots
Cranberry sauce? We thought you said "cranberry shots." We love these tart-sweet Jell-O shots, especially the sugar-coated cranberries. They're optional but highly encouraged—they make for a great chaser after you've downed the shot.
Get the Cranberry Jell-O Shots recipe.
Apple Pie Bourbon Shots
With just a few ingredients—apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg—you can infuse your own bourbon so that it tastes just like your fave fall dessert.
Get the Apple Pie Bourbon Shots recipe.
Brown Sugar Old-Fashioned
A little brown sugar makes this classic cocktail extra warm and cozy, adding a hint of caramel and makes this drink feel anything but old-fashioned. It's the only way we like to make it now!
Get the Brown Sugar Old-Fashioned recipe.
Cranberry Mimosas
While the classic combo of four parts Champagne and one part fresh orange juice can certainly hold its own, this recipe adds a fun holiday twist by swapping the orange juice with fresh cranberries, cranberry juice, rosemary, and a hint of lime.
Get the Cranberry Mimosas recipe.
Harvest Punch
Cider and ginger beer might seem like a weird pairing, but with fresh fruit and cinnamon (plus bubbly!), we promise you it more than works. For a small but just as rowdy brunch, make our caramel apple mimosas instead.
Get the Harvest Punch recipe.
Mackenzie Filson is a food writer and contributing digital food producer at Delish. Her favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate-pine. If wine was an astrological sign she'd be a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. She's never met a bag of Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos she didn't eat in one sitting.
