What better way to celebrate the holidays than with a Thanksgiving cocktail? Flavorful, refreshing and a little boozy, these fall drinks embrace the mood and flavors of the season. That’s why were were so excited to hear about Martha Stewart’s latest cocktail creation: a seasonal twist on a classic whiskey sour.
What Is Martha Stewart’s Go-To Thanksgiving Cocktail?
Martha Stewart’s favorite Thanksgiving cocktail is an Apple Cider Bourbon Sour. This seasonal spin on the traditional bourbon sour recipe incorporates the flavor of fall.With warm bourbon spices and sweet punchy apple cider, this whiskey drink will makes for the perfect pairing for your turkey day festivities.
Apple Cider Whiskey Sour Recipe
Ingredients
8 oz. bourbon (swap the bourbon for orange juice if you want a mocktail) 16 oz. apple cider Juice of one lemon Optional: Brown sugar for rim
Directions
Step 1: Grab a pitcher and your favorite bourbon
The Thanksgiving cocktail recipe starts with a pitcher filled with 8 ounces of bourbon. Martha’s favorite is Michter’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon, but use whatever you love and have on hand.
Step 2: Add lemon and apple cider
After adding the bourbon and apple cider to the pitcher, Martha grabs a citrus juicer to squeeze in the juice of one lemon. Then she stirs well to combine all her ingredients.
Tip: If you want it really cold, you can shake it with ice instead of stirring but remove the ice before serving so you don’t have a watered-down drink.
Step 3: Add a sugary rim
Martha makes the drink festive by dipping the rim in lemon juice and then rolling the rim in brown sugar for a holiday-ready garnish. It’s sweet and adds a little appreciated flare to your holiday bar cart.
Tip: Not sure about the sugar? Rim half of the glass to let your guests decide whether they like the sweetness or not.
How to Make It Your Own
This Thanksgiving cocktail is fun because it’s a very versatile drink that you can customize and make your own. While Martha makes hers using a Kentucky bourbon, a favorite whiskey of any sort could work, including a rye, which would also be delightful.Adding cinnamon stick to each serving is another easy garnish idea that adds fall flavor into the mix.
Chocolate-Caramel Rum Coffee
Take your nightcap to the next level with this chocolate-caramel rum coffee! Yield: 8 servings
Warm two 12oz. cans of evaporated milk, 3/4 cup of rum, 1/2 cup of chocolate syrup, 1/2 cup of caramel sundae syrup and 1/4 cup of packed brown sugar in a large saucepan. Make sure it doesn’t boil. Once the mixture is hot, turn the burner off and stir in 4 cups of hot brewed coffee and 2 tablespoons of coffee liqueur. Pour the coffee cocktail into your favorite mugs, top with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and a sprinkle of espresso powder.
Apple Amaretto Sours
Give the amaretto sour a fall twist with this apple cider version. Yield: 6 servings
Fill 6 highball glasses with ice and add 2 tablespoons of amaretto to each. In a separate container, combine 4 cups of chilled apple cider and 1/4 cup lemon juice, then divide it evenly between the glasses. Top with a lemon slice and cinnamon stick, then serve to your 5 closest pals. If you love amaretto,you have to try these 8 other amaretto-based cocktails.
Brent Hofacker/shutterstock
Hippocras Punch
Get your fall party going with this warm and boozy punch from Sebastien Derbomez, a Hendrick’s Gin Brand Ambassador. Yield: 6-8 servings
To a large pot, add a bottle dry white wine, ¾ cup of brewed chamomile tea, half of a peeled, cored and chopped pineapple, 9.5 tablespoons of sugar, 7 cloves (or to taste), 2 cinnamon sticks 4 orange peels and a teaspoon of white pepper. Let the mixture simmer for about 15 minutes, cut the heat and stir in 1.25 cups of Hendrick’s gin. Fish out the spices, ladle the cocktail into punch glasses and let the celebration begin!
Taste of Home
Chilean Monkey Tail Punch
Also known as cola de mono, monkey tail punch is a traditional Chilean cocktail that’s commonly served around Christmas. But, it’s so delicious, you’ll definitely want to make it a little early. Yield: 16 servings
Boil 4 cups of milk with a cup of sugar, 3 cinnamon sticks and 3 cloves in a large saucepan; reduce the heat, cover the pan and let the milk simmer for about 5 minutes. Take the milk off the burner and allow it to cool slightly. Remove the cinnamon sticks and cloves. Stir in 2 cups of strongly brewed coffee, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 1 1/2 cups of pisco, aguardiente, grappa or brandy. Enjoy this Chilean specialty warm in a mug or cold over ice.
Taste of Home
Vanilla Bean Fizz
You can still enjoy a light and bubbly cocktail in the cold months, thanks to this vanilla bean fizz. Yield: 8 servings
Whip up a vanilla simple syrup by boiling 2 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar. Once the sugar dissolves, reduce the heat, drop in 4 split vanilla beans and let the simple syrup simmer for 10 minutes. Then, remove the syrup from the heat, remove the vanilla beans and let it cool. For the cocktail, pour ¼ cup of vanilla simple syrup to a flute and top with chilled champagne. Enjoy with your pinky out and feet up!
via Bookstore Bar
Monster Smash
Turn on Monster Mash and stir up this cocktail from Bookstore Bar & Café’s lead bartender, Cheston Overman. Yield: 1 serving
Muddle 4 mint leaves in a cocktail mixing glass, then add 1.5 ounces of Four Roses bourbon, an ounce of Pedro Ximenez sherry and half an ounce each of lemon juice and simple syrup. Stir until the cocktail has chilled, then strain into a rocks glass with ice and garnish with an apple slice and cube of dry ice for some extra spookiness.
Taste of Home
Chocolate Martini
Let’s be honest: Everything is better with chocolate, even a martini. Yield: 1 serving
Add 2 ounces of vodka and 2 ounces of creme de cacao (or chocolate liqueur) to a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir the mixture until it’s nice and cold, then strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a chocolate truffle. Test Kitchen Tip:To make this a creamy chocolate martini, stir 1 to 2 ounces of half-and-half with the vodka and creme de cacao. Strain into a chocolate syrup-drizzled cocktail glass if desired.
via Tullamore D.E.W.
Fallen Apple
You don’t have to shake up a complicated cocktail to get a taste of fall. Tim Herlihy, of Tullamore D.E.W., suggests this easy fall drink. Yield: 1 serving
Add 2 ounces of Tullamore D.E.W.’s cider cask Irish whiskey to freshly pressed apple juice in a highball glass with ice.
via B&O American Brasserie
Soul Snatcher
This spirit-forward cocktail comes from Jenghis Manning-Pettit of B&O American Brasserie. Yield: 1 serving
Stir 2 ounces of Larceny Bourbon with half an ounce of pear syrup, 2 dashes of cardamom bitters and ice until chilled. Strain the cocktail into a rocks glass with ice and garnish with a lemon peel.
Taste of Home
Michelada
Warm your bones with something a little spicy. Yield: 1 serving
The michelada starts off by rimming a glass with salt and filling it with ice. Add to the glass 6 dashes of Valentina hot sauce, 3 dashes of Maggi seasoning, 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce and ¼ to ⅓ cup of lime juice, to your taste. Top the glass off with a 12-ounce bottle of Corona, Modelo or Tecate and add a lime wedge garnish.
via Ryan Kleinmann
That’s S’more Like It
Make your next s’mores a bit more adult with this cocktail from Travis Sanders of Pennyroyal. Yield: 1 serving
Infuse a bottle of bourbon by adding 8 crushed graham crackers and let it sit overnight. Strain the bourbon first through a mesh strainer, then a coffee filter to get rid of any solid bits. Pour 2 ounces of your infused bourbon in a rocks glass and stir in .25 oz of creme de cacao, 2 dashes of angostura bitters and an ice cube. Top with a toasted marshmallow or ghost-shaped Peep.
Taste of Home
Easy Irish Cream
While Saint Patrick’s Day is still months away, there’s no reason not to make this easy Irish cream. Yield: 5 cups
Add 2 cups of half-and-half cream, 13.4 ounces of sweetened condensed milk, 1 1/4 cups of Irish whiskey, 1/4 cup of chocolate syrup, 2 tablespoons of instant coffee granules and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract to a blender and pulse until blended. Enjoy over ice or in coffee for an after-dinner drink pick-me-up.
via Belvedere
Cinnamon Smash
Cozy up next to a fire with a good book, sugar cookies and this warming cocktail from Belvedere. Yield: 1 serving
Muddle a few grapefruit chunks with .75 ounces of lemon juice and .75 ounces of simple syrup in a shaker. Pour in 1.5 ounces of Belvedere, 2 dashes of ground cinnamon, 2 dashes of angostura bitters and ice. Cover and shake the cocktail until condensation forms on the shaker, about 15 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass with ice and top with a grapefruit slice and cinnamon stick.
Taste of Home
Black Russian
Want to feel like The Dude but not in the mood for something creamy? We have the answer: A black Russian. Yield: 1 serving
Pour an ounce of vodka and an ounce of Kahlua in a rocks glass with a few ice cubes. It’s easy, satisfying and oh-so-smooth.
Taste of Home
Cranberry-Orange Sangria
It doesn’t have to be summer to enjoy a glass of sangria. Thiscranberry-orange sangriais packed with fall flavor. Yield: 10 servings
Pour a bottle of zinfandel wine into a large pitcher with 32 ounces of cranberry juice, a cup of simple syrup, 1/2 cup of orange liqueur, 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen cranberries, a thinly sliced apple and thinly sliced orange. Cover the pitcher and let the flavors develop overnight in the fridge. When you’re ready for a libation, drop a few ice cubes in a wine glass, fill it with sangria and garnish with additional oranges, apples and cranberries, if desired.
