20 Seasonal Cocktails To Be Thankful For: Delicious Recipes To Complement Your Thanksgiving Feast

Whether you need a cocktail to follow a big bite of turkey & stuffing, or you need a strong, stiff one to get through an evening with your crazy aunt, we have amazing drink recipes perfect for Thanksgiving!

Amarula French Toast
1 ½ part Amarula Cream
½ part rum
½ part Milk
Cinnamon

Combine ingredients over crushed ice an cocktail shaker. Shake and pout into a glass lightly dust with cinnamon and swirl with a cinnamon stick. A perfect recipe to “give back” this Thanksgiving. Amarula, the South African cream liquor, recently launched the campaign, “Don’t Let Them Disappear,” which is dedicated to saving and protecting the African elephant population, as one elephant is tragically lost to poaching every fifteen minutes. From September 1st through December 31st of this year, $1 will be donated for every bottle of Amarula purchased in the United States. Donations will go to their non-profit partner, WildlifeDIRECT, where the funds will directly support their on-the-ground conservation efforts.

Pear’Hot by Beverage Director Adrien Boulouque of Le Coq Rico
2oz Vodka
0.75oz pear syrup
0.50 oz. Lemon juice
Piece of pear for the garnish
To Make Pear Syrup:
1L water
4 cups of sugar
1 pear
2 piece of anise
1 stick cinnamon
1 spoon of 5 spices
Grated /zest ginger
Grated/ zest nutmeg
Put into a pan and bring to a boil

Add vodka, syrup, lemon juice and piece of pear in a shaker. Muddle the pear. Add ice. Shake and double strain in to martini glass with cinnamon brown sugar rim.

Fall at The Brady’s at The Skylark by mixologist Johnny Swet
Lime Wedges
2 Oz. Avua Plata Cachaça
.5 Oz. Lime Juice
.5 Oz. Orange Juice
.5 Oz. Agave
Heaping Barspoon Cranberry Sauce

Muddle lime wedges, shake all ingredients and stran into a rocks glass. Garnish with a spiked lime

EXIMO Arista
2 parts FACUNDO EXIMO Rum
½ part Benedictine
¾ part Fresh lime juice
¼ part Simple Syrup

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake thoroughly and strain into a Coupe glass. Garnish with a dehydrated Lime wheel.

Apple Rickey

2 oz. Cointreau

.50 oz. Fresh Lime Juice

3 slices of a tart Apple

7 leaves of fresh rosemary

4 oz. Club Soda or Seltzer

Muddle the apple and rosemary in a Highball glass. Add Cointreau and lime juice with ice and top with club soda. Stir briefly and garnish with a sprig of rosemary and a slice of apple.

Kentucky Mulled Cider Created by Chef and Maker’s Mark® Cookbook Editor Chef Lee Anne Wong
4½ parts Maker’s 46® Bourbon
4 cups apple cider
2 pieces cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon whole allspice
½ piece vanilla bean
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 thin slices of orange
Juice of ¼ lemon

Combine the cider, cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, the scraped vanilla bean and pod, and the brown sugar in a medium pot. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the orange slices, lemon juice, and Maker’s 46® Bourbon. Stir to combine and allow the cider to steep over low heat for another 5 minutes. Serve hot. Serves 4 -6.

Hot Honey Butter
2 parts Drambuie
1 Heaping tbsp Natural Apple Butter
½ tbsp Unsalted Butter
6 parts Steamed Whole Milk (Or choice milk-base)
1 small pinch Kosher Salt
1/8 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg
Garnish with steamed milk foam and Cinnamon Stick
Serve in small mug/teacup

Steam milk, apple butter and spices together until hot. Double-strain into cup over butter. Stir in Drambuie. Top with additional milk foam.

Brockmans Fiery Side
2 oz. Brockmans Gin
0.5 oz. Cinnamon syrup
Ginger beer
0.25 oz. Cherry Brandy (a capful)

Fill a highball glass with ice cubes, add the gin and cinnamon syrup; then top with ginger beer. Drizzle the Cherry Brandy over the top. Garnish with a stick of cinnamon and a cherry.

‘Tis The Spritzer created by Cody Goldstein, Founder of Muddling Memories
2 parts Tres Agaves Reposado Tequila
1 part blood orange juice
1/2 part Aperol
1/2 part cranberry juice
Champagne, to fill
Cranberries, to garnish

Add all the ingredients into a shaking tin and fill with a handful of ice. Shake for 5 seconds and strain into a Collins glass. Top with Champagne and garnish with a few cranberries.

Pump King Mule from Outlook Kitchen and Bar at The Envoy Hotel
2 Oz. Denizen Rum
.5 Oz. Lime Juice
.5 Oz. Pumpkin King
2 TBS Coconut
Ginger Beer

Shake all ingredients and strain over fresh ice. Top with ginger beer and garnish with orange peel and cinnamon stick.

Allora Dark from Allora NYC
Di Saronno Amaretto
Kahlua
Dark rum

*Hot tip: If you go to Allora, you will enjoy the amazing atmosphere that is compromised of attentive waiters, Italian hospitality, and incredible food. Not only will you fall in love with the lamb chops that are cooked in front of you, and the bar cart of unbelievable after-dinner drinks, but you will leave fulfilled and ready to return.

The Glass Slipper
Three Olives Naked Vodka
Chamomile honey syrup
Lemon juice
Sparkling wine

Best served in champagne flutes, this cocktail is sure to set the mood for your holiday gathering.

Puddin’ on the Ritz created by Pam Wiznitzer, USBG NY President and Creative Director at Seamstress, NYC
2 parts Sugar Island Spiced Rum
1 ½ parts Milk
1 tbsp Vanilla Pudding Mix
½ parts Crown Maple Syrup
3 dashes Angostura Bitters

Shake and strain over fresh ice. Garnish with grated cinnamon and nutmeg and 1 star anise.

Bourbon & Pear Highball
2 tbsp Buffalo Trace Bourbon
2 tsp Disaronno Amaretto
2 tsp oloroso sherry
2fl oz pear juice
Fever-Tree Naturally Light Tonic Water, to top up
Pear fan, to garnish
Raspberry, to garnish

Pour all the ingredients except the tonic water in order into a highball glass over ice cubes, then top up with the tonic water. Garnish with a pear fan with a raspberry on the end.

Orange Cinnamon Blossom
1 bottle of Santa Margherita Prosecco Superiore DOCG
1/2 lemon
1/2 orange
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup sugar
3 whole cloves
3 whole allspice
2 cinnamon sticks

Rinse lemon and orange and thinly slice them, discarding seeds; quarter the orange slices. Put fruit in a 4- to 5-quart pan. Add honey, sugar (use the smaller amount if you prefer drinks on the tart side, the larger if you want a sweeter flavor), cloves and allspice. With a knife, cut the cinnamon sticks lengthwise into thinner strips. Add cinnamon and 2 cups water to pan; bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and boil gently for 5 minutes. Pour Santa Margherita Prosecco Superiore DOCG into hot citrus base and heat until steaming, about 8 minutes. Keep warm over low heat. Ladle into heatproof cups or wineglasses.

Sparkle and Spice
750ml bottle aged rum
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 clove
1 cardamom pod
1 star anise pod
1 vanilla bean
3 allspice berries
Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
Sparkling Ice Lemon Lime

Combine rum, cinnamon stick, clove, cardamom, star anise, vanilla bean, allspice berries, and nutmeg in an airtight jar. Split vanilla bean and scrape seeds into jar along with the bean pod. Close jar and allow infusion to sit in a dark place for at least 3 days. Strain rum into an airtight jar with a fine-mesh strainer, discarding spices. Over ice, pour 2 ounces of rum infusion. Top with Sparkling Ice Lemon Lime and garnish with blackberries.

HEEET Thanksgiving Cocktail
4oz Pineapple Juice
11/2 oz HEEET
1 oz Ginger Ale
Splash of grenadine
Garnish with a slice of pineapple

Cruzan® Hot Buttered Rum
1 part Cruzan@ Single Barrel Rum
2 heaping spoonfuls Batter•
Steaming Hot Water
*Batter Ingredients:
1 lb. Brown Sugar
1/2 lb. Salted Butter
4 teaspoons Pumpkin Spice Seasoning
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Fill coffee mug 1/2 full with hot water. Stir in batter until dissolved. Add rum and top with steaming hot water. Serve with a stir stick or cinnamon stick.

Winter Citrus Sangria
12 oz Q Club Soda
12 oz Q Tonic
6 oz Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur
8 oz Cocci Americano Italian White Vermouth
12 oz Dry White Wine
2 cups sliced winter citrus (pink grapefruit, mandarin oranges, Cara Cara, lemon)
½ cup pomegranate arils
Mint for garnish

Combine Solerno, Cocci Americano and wine in a bowl and stir. Add sliced citrus and pomegranate arils, cover and refrigerate overnight to allow fruit to macerate. When ready to serve, transfer the mixture to a pitcher, top with Q Club Soda, Q Tonic and stir to combine. Pour into ice-filled glasses and garnish with a sprig of mint.

Belvedere Toddy
1 oz Belvedere Vodka
1.5 oz Hot Water
1 oz Lillet Blanc
.0 oz Lemon
.5 oz Honey
1 Cinnamon Stick
Fresh Grated Nutmeg
Orange Wedge
Cloves

Add hot water to heat glass mug, then honey to melt. Add remaining liquid ingredients. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and orange wedge and top with freshly grated nutmeg. Option to pierce orange wedge with 3 cloves.

The Nespresso Mojito
1.5oz Nespresso Vertuo Diavolitto coffee capsule
1.5oz White Rum
0.2oz of white wine syrup
0.5oz simple syrup
Muddle fresh mint
Pour over crushed ice
Top with 1.5oz of sparkling water
Garnish with fresh mint

If you’re a wine drinker, we have a way for you to enjoy your wine and give back at the same time. One of HollywoodLife’s favorite brand, ONEHOPE, has a number of gift boxes that benefit a variety of organizations. Know a dog & wine lover? The Walker Gift Box ($79) includes a delish ONEHOPE CA Pinot Noir, Found My Animal 4’ black synthetic dog leash and a doggy bag holder. Every box helps 1 animal find a fur-ever home! Want to make a difference when it comes to homelessness in America this holiday season? The Giving Keys Gift Box ($79) includes a bottle of ONEHOPE California Viognier and The Giving Keys gold HOPE necklace in a white gift box and every box helps fund job preparedness classes for the homeless. Then, the two seasonal, nonalcoholic gift boxes, the Pumpkin Spice Latte Gift Box & the Peppermint Gift Box ($59), help to fund one year of clean drinking water for one person in need.

HollywoodLifers, will you make any of these drinks? Snap a photo of your Thanksgiving feast & tag it #HollywoodLifeStyle for a chance to be featured on HollywoodLife.com!