13 Thanksgiving Cocktails Perfect for the Pre-Game or the Main Even

Old Fashioned with a orange slice — Serious Eats / Two Bites

Thanksgiving isn't just a big 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 before and during your meal—we've got you covered. From a popcorn-flavored spiked cider to 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.

Hot Caramel-Popcorn Bourbon Apple Cider
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.

Into the Woods
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 with Frangelico, Fernet, or amaro and bourbon.

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

Serious Eats / Two Bites

Making an individual Old Fashioned takes only a minute or two, but when you're 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 our peanut-flavored Old Fashioned in a bottle, too.

Old Fashioned Cocktails

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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.

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.

Old Timber (Rye Cocktail With Fernet)
Drunk Uncle (Scotch and Cynar Cocktail)

Vicky Wasik

A savory twist on the Boulevardier, 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.

Drunk Uncle (Scotch and Cynar Cocktail)
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.

Tangy Cranberry–Black Pepper Shrub Cocktail

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A Minnesota Good-Bye (Cranberry French 75)

Serious Eats / Two Bites

This twist on the French 75 gets 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.

A Minnesota Good-Bye (Cranberry French 75)
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.

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.

Sweater Weather Punch (Scotch and Cranberry Cocktail)
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.

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

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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.

Make-Ahead Fig and Cinnamon Punch

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13 Thanksgiving Cocktails Perfect for the Pre-Game or the Main Even

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