Hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year? Bring out your best with our Top 10 Cocktails for Thanksgiving and Holiday Parties. These fall themed cocktail recipes are sure to please even the pickiest of family and friends. Starting with seasonal flavors like pumpkin, cranberry, ginger, and apple, these drinks are seriously delicious, and rather easy to make. So, mix up a cocktail, take a sip, and relax. After all-everyone has something to be thankful for this year.
A hot cocktail is the perfect way to welcome guests in from the cold. Try this one with chocolate and orange peel. Delicious before or after dinner.
Serves 4-6
- 1/4 cup instant espresso
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 oz Azzurre Vodka
- 2 oz Molinari Caffè
- whipped cream (optional)
- Orange peel for garnish
Combine coffee and cocoa. Add boiling water and stir to dissolve. Add in the vodka and sambuca, stir again.
Pour into mugs or espresso cups. Top each serving with whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and orange peel.
Using both fresh apples and apple cider adds layers of flavors to this cocktail, with maple syrup in the mix for a sweet touch.
- 1 1/2 oz Azzurre Vodka
- 1 oz fresh apple cider
- 4 slices of pink lady apples
- 1/4 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 3/4 oz maple syrup
- 2 dashes of cranberry bitters
Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker, and shake over ice. Strain into a chilled highball glass over ice. Garnish with a thin apple slice, and a cinnamon stick.
This cocktail uses spicy, earthy cardamom syrup that will warm you up from the inside out.
- 2 oz Azzurre Vodka
- ½ oz fresh lime juice
- 3 oz cardamom ginger ale
- 1 oz cranberry juice
How to make the cardamom ginger ale:
- 2 tsp grated ginger
- 5 cardamom pods, crushed
- ½ c cane sugar
- ½ c water
- 1 cup sparkling water
To make the cardamom ginger ale: Peel and finely grate the ginger. Set aside. Crack open the cardamom pods and grind the seeds, using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Set aside.
Add sugar and water to a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add ginger and ground cardamom and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Once the syrup has cooled, strain through a fine mesh strainer. Transfer to a large jar or bottle and add sparkling water. Keep the ginger ale chilled in fridge while you make the rest of your drink.
To make the cocktail:
Fill a high ball glass halfway with crushed ice. Add the vodka, cranberry juice, lime juice, and cardamom ginger ale, then top off the remainder of your cup with crushed ice. Garnish with sliced lime wheel.
This martini is light and refreshing-a nice start to a meal, especially if you’re planning to entertain outdoors (deep fried turkey, anyone?).
Serves 2
- 2 oz Azzurre Vodka
- 1/2 oz Mathilde Peach Liqueur
- 1 very ripe peach, peeled, cut into 1/2′ wedges
- 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 oz vanilla simple syrup
- 4 oz Prosecco, chilled
- 4 oz soda water, chilled
Muddle fruit with simple syrup and lemon in a shaker. Add liquor ingredients and ice, shake. Double strain into a martini glass, top with Prosecco and soda water. Garnish with a slice of peach, and serve.
If you like cranberry apple pie, this punch recipe is just for you. Apple and citrus pair well with cranberry, and the cinnamon and ginger adds just a bit of heat.
Serves 4
- 4 oz. Azzurre Vodka
- 1 ½ oz. Mathilde Poire liqueur
- 2 oz. fresh lime juice
- 2 oz. cranberry juice
- 8 slices of Granny Smith apple
- 2 oz real grenadine syrup
- 3 quarter sized slice of ginger
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 12 oz. club soda
Directions:
Muddle the apple and ginger in a shaker, add liquor and shake. Add the rest of the ingredients except the soda, stir. Strain and pour into 4 high ball glasses filled with ice. Top with club soda, stir.
Using sweet, dark concord grapes, this cocktail blends some of the season’s best fruits for a simple, yet refreshing drink.
- 2 oz Azzurre Vodka
- ½ oz Mathilde Framboise Liqueur
- 1 ½ oz concord grape puree
- ¾ oz fresh lime juice
- ½ oz simple syrup
To make concord grape puree: combine 10 grapes in blender and blend until smooth.
To make the cocktail: Combine all ingredients into shaker and shake with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with 2-3 concord grapes.
Thanksgiving dinner isn’t complete if you don’t have pumpkin pie! Just like the one Mom used to make, warm, spicy flavors blend with savory pumpkin, making this the perfect end to a meal.
- 2 oz Azzurre Vodka
- 4 oz Pumpkin Pie Cream Liqueur (we recommend Fulton’s Harvest)
- A dash of cinnamon and nutmeg
Pour vodka and liqueur over ice into shaker and shake, strain into martini glass. Top with dollop of whipped cream, drizzle with caramel syrup and garnish with pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon sticks.
Like that dark, rich chocolate pie that someone always brings for family dinners, this silky smooth martini is a totally indulgent experience.
- 1 oz Azzurre Vodka
- 1oz Godiva chocolate liqueur
- ½ cup fat free milk
In shaker with crushed ice, combine chocolate liqueur, vodka and milk. Shake well. Pour chocolate syrup around inside of glass rim, top with shaken ingredients and garnish with dark chocolate shavings.
Floats are still all the rage this year, and super easy to make. Try the pumpkin or apple-a real treat when paired with a hot slice of pie!
- 1 ½ oz Azzurre Vodka
- 1 ½ oz Pumpkin Pie Liqueur
- 6 oz (½ bottle) Magic Hat Pumpkin Ale
- 1 scoop vanilla ice cream
Scoop vanilla ice cream into chilled glass, add vodka and pumpkin pie liqueur then top with pumpkin ale. Add straw and enjoy! Continue to add ale to make the float last longer.
- 2 oz Azzurre Vodka
- 6 oz (½ bottle of Hard Apple Cider
- 1 scoop vanilla ice cream
Scoop vanilla ice cream into chilled glass, add vodka and top with hard apple cider.