10 Awesome Thanksgiving Cocktails

Enjoy some of the following cocktails before, during or after your Thanksgiving celebration. If you want a printer-friendly version of any of the following recipes, just click on the recipe title.

1. Cranberry Collins

1/2 oz cranberry juice
1 oz gin
Club Soda
Juice of 1 small lime
Lime slice

Stir the cranberry and lime juice in a highball glass with ice. Top up with soda. Option: Sprinkle with dried cranberries and a lime.

Note: Offer this cocktail without the gin and you have a refreshing non-alcoholic drink.

2. Canadian Stone Fence

2 oz apple cider
1/2 oz triple sec
1 1/2 oz Canadian whisky
1 tsp sugar syrup

Mix all ingredients with cracked ice in a shaker or blender. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Click here for more apple-flavored cocktails.

3. Thanksgiving Cocktail

1/2 oz lemon juice
1 oz apricot brandy
1 oz dry vermouth
1 oz gin

Shake all the ingredients with ice. Strain into an old fashioned glass. Add ice.

4. Apple Cider Sparkle

6 cups apple cider
2 cups cranberry/raspberry cocktail (orange juice, orange-mango or your favorite juice blend)
1 bottle (750 mL) champagne (or sparkling wine)
1/2 cup lemon juice

In punch bowl, large pitcher, or even several pitchers, combine apple cider, orange juice, and lemon juice. Just before your guests arrive, slowly add champagne or sparkling wine. Serve immediately or keep chilled with large ice blocks. Makes about about 15 servings of 6 ounces each.

For a non-alcoholic punch, use chilled sparkling grape juice in place of the wine or champagne.

For more about cider, including a few more cider cocktail recipes, click here.

5. Cafe Royale

4 oz bourbon
4 sugar cubes
16 oz coffee (hot, strong, black)

Place sugar cube in each of 4 warmed demitasse cups and fill almost full of hot coffee. Carefully float 1 oz of bourbon in each cup, ignite, and flame for a few seconds. Stir with spoon to extinguish the flames. Serves four.

Check out more coffee, tea and hot chocolate cocktails.

6. Mulled Wine with Honey and Orange

3 cardamom
2/3 cup orange liqueur
2 cinnamon stick
12 allspice berries
12 cloves whole
1.5 L red wine (use a fruity red such as Merlot)
1 cup honey
1 orange

Using a vegetable peeler remove the zest from the orange. Rinse and wring out a 10-inch square piece of cheesecloth. Wrap the orange zest, cloves, allspice, cinnamon sticks and cardamon in the cheese cloth and tie. Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice out. Set aside.

In a large non-aluminum pot, combine the wine, honey, orange liqueur, orange juice, and spice packet. Heat and stir for about 30 minutes to dissolve the honey. Do not boil. Transfer to a slow cocker or insulated carafe and serve hot.

7. Sidecar

3/4 oz brandy or cognac
3/4 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz lime juice (or lemon)

Shake all ingredients with ice in a shaker or blender. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

This old favorite is enjoying renewed popularity and gaining some new fans. It's a classic for a good reason!

8. Gingersnap

3 oz vodka
1/2 oz ginger wine
Club soda

Combine vodka and ginger wine with several ice cubes in a double old-fashioned glass. Fill with soda and stir gently.

9. Autumn Leaf

1/2 oz brandy (use a dark brandy )
1/2 oz crème de menthe
1/2 oz Galliano

Start with a layer of creme de menthe, add a layer of Galliano and top with a layer of dark brandy. Add a sprinkling of nutmeg. (These spirits will tend to blend into one another.)

Learn more about brandy.

10. Old Fashioned