15 Thanksgiving Cocktail Recipes to Liven Up Your Holiday

The turkey is in the oven, table is set, potatoes are mashed and all your guests have arrived. Okay, not for a little bit, but we're giving you some Thanksgiving recipes and ideas a little early this year. There's only one thing left to do and that's mix up a cocktail (that is, if you don't already have one in hand). A meal as special as your Thanksgiving feast calls for an equally special cocktail. Whether you're looking for an aperitif to wet your whistle or something to warm you up after a post-dinner walk or a nightcap, we've put together a few of our favorite libations. They're sure to wind up on your winter rotation. Cheers to these creative Thanksgiving cocktail recipes!

Apple, Ginger and Cranberry Vodka Cocktail

Refreshing and fizzy, this is the perfect drink to help you unwind after preparing your Thanksgiving feast. (via What Katie Ate)

Boozy Pumpkin White Hot Chocolate

This white chocolate spin on cocoa allows the flavor of the pumpkin to really shine. You’ll love the Kahlua and Bourbon variations — it may be hard to choose just one! (via Minimalist Baker)

Sparkling Pear and Cranberry Cocktail

Moscato d’asti is an Italian sparkling white wine and also happens to be the perfect topper for this seasonal cocktail. It’s sweeter than champagne and gives the pear a lift. (via Martha Stewart)

Punch Parker

This recipe comes from the Shanty in New York and combines all the good stuff. Think high quality gin, winter fruits, framboise, and finished off with prosecco. Prep the punch in advance and top off with the bubbly when your guests arrive. (via Food and Wine)

The Hibernating Honey Bear — Bourbon With Honey Sage Syrup

This is a delicious drink anytime, but we especially love it for anyone feeling under the weather. It’s the best tasting throat lozenge you’ve ever had. (via In Sock Monkey Slippers)

Mulled Wine

No cocktail says holidays quite like classic mulled wine. Make it in a slow cooker so you don’t have to babysit the stove. (via Gimme Some Oven)

Cider Rum Punch

A classic punch made of rum (of course), lemon juice, apple cider and spices, this one makes a great crowd pleaser. Make sure to include the pretty thyme and apple slice garnishes. (via Verses from My Kitchen)

Wild Turkey Cocktails

The bird won’t be the only turkey on the table this year. This very American drink blends Wild Turkey American Honey whiskey, cloves, cranberry sauce and oranges. It’ll heat you up like a warm blanket. (via Brit.co)

Apple Cider Mimosas

Kick off your morning with a boozy breakfast bevy, like this apple cider mimosa. They’re as pretty as they are tasty. (via The Cookie Rookie)

Caramel Apple Martini

This is not the apple martini of your college days. Fresh apples and apple cider get swirled with cinnamon and homemade caramel sauce — no artificial ingredients here. Plus, it’s a lot easier to eat than an actual caramel apple. (via Lexi’s Clean Kitchen)

Pomegranate Orange Sangria

Brandy meets cabernet in this seriously seasonal sangria. The powerful one-two punch gets answered with crimson pomegranate juice and fresh seeds. (via Completely Delicious)

Hot Apple Cider Buttered Rum Cocktails

This drink combines two of our favorite beverages into one glass. Enjoy by the fire for a sweet nightcap. (via Serena Bakes Simply from Scratch)

Pumpkin Pie Martini

Pumpkin pie in a glass? Yes, please! This creamy martini is full of spices, just like the dessert that inspired it. (via All Day I Dream About Food)

Red Nose Punch

We can’t decide what we love more — this cocktail or the festive frozen cranberry ring to go with it. It’s so pretty it will double as decor for your holiday table. (via Saveur)

Cranberry Orange Bourbon Cocktail With Brandied Cranberries

The brandied cranberries are the stars of this show. Make a batch in advance and keep them around for an extra special garnish. (via The Little Epicurean)

Christmas cookie decorating is holiday tradition for us here at B+C, so we were so stoked to find this recipe for paleo cookies that adds a healthy twist to this classic holiday dessert. These sweet treats will shine among the rest of your Christmastime tablescape, and they are super easy to make. Plus, they'll pair well with just about any Christmas dessert. Just combine your paleo-friendly ingredients to prep the dough, let it sit overnight, then bake for ten minutes! The best part about this recipe is of course, all of the fun holiday-time shapes you can cut. Consider this recipe your go-to for healthy cookies, though, since you can make them year-round in any shape you like. Let's get to decorating!

Ingredients for Paleo Christmas Cookies

Brit + Co

For the cookies:

  • 1/2 cup grass-fed salted butter, softened
  • 6 tablespoons raw honey
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 3 cups almond flour
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

For the frosting:

  • 6 tablespoons coconut butter or coconut manna
  • 1/4 cup cacao butter
  • 1-2 tablespoons honey
  • Plant-based food coloring
  • Vegetable-dyed sprinkles, for topping*
* Look for vegetable and fruit-dyed food coloring and sprinkles in natural grocery stores or online, and avoid artificial colors to keep these cookies Paleo friendly!

How to Make Paleo Christmas Cookies

Brit + Co

  1. Add the softened butter and honey to a large mixing bowl. Cream the mixture together using a handheld mixer until it is smooth. Add in the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract and whisk until they are well combined. Pour in the almond flour, coconut flour, and baking soda, and continue mixing until the batter has come together smoothly.
  2. Separate the dough into two, and place each one on top of a piece of plastic wrap. Roll each dough into a ball, then flatten to a thick disk, cover completely with the plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to firm up for at least 2 hours or overnight.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove one of the dough discs from the refrigerator, unwrap the plastic and place the dough on top of a piece of parchment paper, then top it with another piece of parchment paper. Use a roller to flatten out the dough to about 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch thick. Work quickly with your favorite Christmas cookie cutters, and use a thin spatula to lift the cut cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  4. Bake the cookies in the oven for 10 minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes, then place on a wire rack for further cooling. Gather the leftover scraps back into a ball in the plastic wrap or parchment paper and place it back in the refrigerator, while working with the other piece of dough. Do this in batches to keep the dough from getting too warm and so you don’t overcrowd the baking sheet.
  5. While the batches of cookies are baking, use a small saucepan to lightly melt the coconut butter and cacao butter together over low heat on the stovetop. Remove the pan from the heat when the ingredients have just melted together. Stir in the desired amount of honey, then set aside to cool and thicken up slightly. If you are using food coloring, add in the desired amount into the frosting mixture (1-2 teaspoons of green or red should do the trick). If you plan on only using white frosting, only use a small amount of honey, as it can make the frosting an off-white or light brown color.
  6. After the cookies have completely cooled, decorate them with the frosting and sprinkles as desired. If you don’t have any professional piping tools, an easy fix is to place the frosting in a plastic sandwich bag and remove all the air when sealing the top. Cut a tiny tip off one corner of the plastic bag, then gently squeeze and pipe over the cookies. Use one plastic bag or piping bag for each color of frosting. Top with corresponding sprinkles and enjoy!

Is your mouth watering yet? Check out our newsletter for more delicious holiday recipe ideas!

Recipe development and photography by Sarah Anderson.

Why am I just now learning that Costco sells caviar?! After a quick catch on social media, I’m totally hooked on finding the TsarNicoulai Caviar Tasting Flight Gift Set in stores.

This find comes at just the right time, too. Christmas and New Year’s are upon us, and the Costco caviar gift set is the perfect hosting hack for leaving a lasting impression on your guests – especially the ones with a bit more bougie palette.

Costco

The Tsar Nicoulai Caviar Tasting Flight Gift Set is directly inspired by Tsar Nicoulai’s award-winning caviar café in San Francisco – IYKYK. The set features 4 “unique” grades of “top-quality” caviar, with each respective grade sourced from a single sturgeon. The very luxe set is completed with a spread of smoked sturgeon, blini, and crème fraiche.

Costco

The Costco caviar (can’t believe I’m writing that!) can serve 4 to 8 people, so it’s practically perfect for a holiday dinner party or cocktail hour. It arrives with 4 caviar spoons made from Mother of Pearl – can someone say “bougie?!”

Rachel Claire / PEXELS

Costco shoppers have granted the caviar set 4.4 out of 5 stars. Here’s some promising reviews to really help you seal the deal:

  • “We bought it as a trial and pretty happy with the purchase. Even with the full price getting smoked sturgeon which we like a like it's a wickedly good deal. If you want to elevate your dining experience this might be one of the ways to do it.”
  • “This was amazing for my 79th birthday experience. My father taught us that to appreciate caviar you have to serve it "right". My Russian Vodka days are over so we utilized some of our favorite Hard Seltzer and of course some finely chopped hard boiled egg and onion which this time was a scallion. The secret is to to place the whole doctored up blini with the caviar into your mouth in one bite so that all the flavors merge at once. Highly recommend this fabulous treat!”
  • “This set is outstanding value! We used this set for a Vodka and Caviar tasting party we were having. All the caviars were excellent and the addition of sturgeon was a nice touch. Highly recommend.”

Polina Tankilevitch / PEXELS

The Tsar Nicoulai Caviar Tasting Flight Gift Set is currently $50 off through December 31, 2024. This savings opportunity is only available online, so don’t wait to snag it for your holiday plans before it sells out! Originally $250, you’ll only pay $200 for the best fancy holiday snack around.

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If there’s one recipe you 100 percent need to crank out some seriously festive Christmas dessert ideas, it’s the classic, basic sugar cookie. Some of the most intricately ordained, masterpiece cookies (like pink Christmas decorations, jolly reindeer, and llamas) begin with a simple foundation. Let’s start with this recipe we love for a vanilla-bean-speckled version that’s sure to hold its own under all that royal icing.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter (room temperature + cubed)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
  • 1 egg
  • 3 cups flour

Directions

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add vanilla bean and egg. Mix until just incorporated. Stop mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

Gradually add flour (you may not need the full three cups), and mix until dough forms and pulls away from the bowl. Divide dough into two even discs and wrap in cling wrap, then refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.

When ready to roll dough, pre-heat oven to 350°F and line baking trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Using a rolling pin, roll cookie dough between two pieces of parchment paper to 1/4-inch in thickness, and use cookie cutters to cut out cookie shapes.

Transfer cookies to a baking tray using a lightly floured spatula. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes before baking.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or when edges begin to brown. The time will be dependent on size and thickness of cookies.

Allow to cool on tray until warm to touch, then transfer onto a wire cooling rackbefore decorating.

Decorate your easy Christmas cookies to you and your family's liking!

Check out our baking and cooking classes for more recipes to make at home!

Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.

See our ‘Grammable Holiday Cookie Guide.

Recipe via Vickie Liu; photos via Brittany Griffin/Brit + Co