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Are you ready for your annual awkward family gathering? Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. We may earn a commission from these links. Here’s how we test products and why you should trust us. Are you ready for your annual awkward family gathering? Thanksgiving is finally here, and if thinking about safe topics to discuss with all three generations of your family is making you break out in hives, then rest assured we’ve got some recipes to give you the liquid courage to face it. You’ve got the turkey basted and roasting in the oven. You’ve got your grandmother’s mac-and-cheese recipe perfected, and the potatoes are mashed. Your slacker cousin finally pulled through with a store-bought pie. But do you know what you’ll be drinking on the most important food-and-drink-centered holiday of the year? We promise: There’s something for everyone at your dinner table on this curated list of cocktails. Does grandpa only abide by the saying “If it’s brown, drink it down?” We’ve got a Manhattan that’ll keep him on ice. Did your aunt who drinks only French reds run through the bottle she brought already? There’s a sangria recipe that’ll have her too busy sipping to snip. Need a warm cup of something strong for while you “take the dog for a walk”? There’s an Irish coffee that’ll keep your wits about you. So hurry up and add these cocktail recipes to your Turkey Day menu. You may not be old-fashioned, but your drink can be! Stir up this classic whiskey cocktail that’s bound to be a hit with everybody. Ingredients Directions Place the sugar cube in an Old-Fashioned glass. Wet it down with Angostura bitters and a short splash of club soda. Crush the sugar with a wooden muddler, then rotate the glass so that the sugar grains and bitters give it a lining. Add a large ice cube. Pour in the whiskey, then garnish with an orange twist. Whoever invented pouring bourbon into a cup of tea, we want to give you a big hug. Ingredients Directions Boil water in a teapot. Steep star anise pod or tea bag inside. Add bourbon, honey, lemon, and Tiki bitters to a mug. Stir. Serve in glass mugs with a spoon and the teapot. To enjoy, pour tea over cocktail base to taste, and stir. This simple Italian predinner drink will impress any in-laws or new family members you’re meeting for the first time this holiday. Ingredients Directions Combine amaretto, simple syrup, and lemon juice into a shaker with ice. Shake for at least ten seconds. Strain into a rocks glass over ice and garnish with a maraschino cherry and orange slice. This sumptuous hot cocktail is one of the best treats. Ingredients • 2 oz dark rum Directions In a mug, dissolve the sugar cubes in a little hot water. Add rum and butter. Fill the mug with hot water. Sprinkle nutmeg on top. This booze-forward, whiskey-centered cocktail will keep all your guests loose and relaxed. Ingredients • 2 oz rye whiskey Directions Stir the rye, vermouth, and bitters well with cracked ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist and/or a cocktail cherry. This apertivo is the perfect refreshment before you start serving those heavy Thanksgiving dishes. Ingredients Directions Pour Campari and sweet vermouth into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with an orange twist. A balanced spin on the manhattan that uses Scotch whisky, this cocktail will impress any fan of brown liquor. Ingredients • 2 oz blended Scotch whisky Directions Stir the Scotch, vermouth, and bitters well with cracked ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist. Who says Scotch can’t be sweet and tropical? This sherry-finished Scotch helps make the perfect variation of a sour recipe. Ingredients Directions Line a coupe glass with a spicy salt rim, then shake the ingredients and strain. Garnish with a thinly sliced, deseeded poblano pepper. (Floated atop is our preferred placement.) Syrup method: slice a fresh pineapple into small pieces and roast until slightly charred. In another pot, mix 2 parts sugar to 1 part water and stir over heat until sugar is dissolved. Add the charred pineapple and allow to chill overnight. Strain out the pineapple and use the remaining syrup. Simple enough to whip up in under five minutes, this cocktail has enough Scotch to knock grandpa under the table. Ingredients Directions Stir the Scotch and amaretto well with cracked ice in a mixing glass. Strain over fresh ice into an Old-Fashioned glass. If you’re a big fan of cranberry sauce (the one that comes in a can), you can cure your cranberry craving with this vodka cocktail. Ingredients Directions Shake the ingredients in a shaker with cracked ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, then garnish with lime. This green-tinged cocktail tastes fresh and slightly tart, but it’s boozy enough to chill you out after that heavy holiday meal. Ingredients Directions Add all ingredients into a shaker. Shake well with cracked ice. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lime wedge and Luxardo cherry. The Black Russian is the espresso martini’s cooler, more laid-back cousin. It’s so simple to make and yet deliciously complex in taste. Ingredients Directions Stir ingredients with ice in a mixing glass. Strain into an Old-Fashioned glass over fresh ice. You need to keep the booze flowing to keep the mood light and the conversation going. So mix together this sangria recipe that’ll satiate any apple-cider lover. Ingredients Directions Place apples, orange, and cloves in a large pitcher (at least gallon-sized). Drizzle honey over the fruit, then add in apple cider, rum, ginger beer, and white wine. Stir to mix. Top with ice and let chill for 20 minutes before serving. Serve in glasses, including the chunks of fruit. Sometimes you don’t want to have to choose between two options, because you want to have it all! And you can have it both ways, with this gin-and-vodka martini, the Vesper. Ingredients Directions Stir ingredients briskly with ice in a mixing tin until very cold. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a large, thin-cut lemon peel. Why not turn your holiday gathering into an international experience? Incorporate this Russian classic into your cocktail rotation. Ingredients Directions Squeeze lime juice into a copper mug (or a Collins glass) and drop in the spent shell. Add ice cubes, then pour in the vodka and fill with cold ginger beer. Serve with a stirring rod. This rum cocktail will bring back fond memories of warmer weather. Ingredients Directions Fill a tall glass with ice cubes. Add rum. Pour in ginger beer and lime juice. Stir with a barspoon. Garnish with a lime wedge. Enjoy. Margaritas are not just restricted to the warmer months. This cinnamon twist on the cocktail will put you in the holiday spirit. Ingredients Directions Pour Pantalones Organic Blanco Tequila, Cointreau, lemon juice, agave syrup, cinnamon, and an egg white into a shaker. Dry-shake (no ice!) to get your egg white cozy with the other ingredients. Add ice and shake again to chill cocktail. Fine-strain into a chilled coupe and simply frost yourself—as in, garnish with edible glitter and drink up. This cocktail hails from the South, but it brings a warm burn that’ll heat up even the coldest winter night. Ingredients Directions In an Old-Fashioned glass, muddle a sugar cube with a few drops of water. Add several small ice cubes, then rye whiskey, Peychaud’s bitters, and Angostura bitters. Stir well. Roll a few drops of absinthe around a second, chilled Old-Fashioned glass until the inside is thoroughly coated. Pour off the excess. Strain the contents of the first glass into the second. Garnish with a twist of lemon peel. It’s beloved for a reason—the espresso martini will keep you awake during the post-turkey haze and put you in a jolly good mood to listen to your elders. Ingredients • 2 oz vodka Directions Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with two or three coffee beans. Holidays are synonymous with Champagne, so pop open a bottle of bubbly and pour out one of these delicious cocktails. Ingredients • 2 oz golden rum Directions Stir rum, lime juice, and honey thoroughly with cracked ice in a chilled cocktail shaker. Pour unstrained into a Collins glass. Top with Champagne30 Best Thanksgiving Cocktails
Old Fashioned
Hot Toddy
Amaretto Sour
Hot Buttered Rum
• 2 sugar cubes
• 1 pat unsalted butterManhattan
• 1 oz Italian vermouth
• 2 dashes Angostura bittersAmericano
Rob Roy
• 1 oz red Italian vermouth
• 2 dashes Angostura bittersGlenfiddich Sherry Sour
Godfather
Cosmopolitan
The Last Word
Black Russian
Apple Cider Sangria
Vesper
Moscow Mule
Dark and Stormy
Frost Yourself
Sazerac
Espresso Martini
• 1/2 oz coffee liqueur
• 3/4 oz simple syrup
• 1 1/2 oz fresh espressoAir Mail
• 1/2 oz lime juice
• 1 tsp honey
• 5 oz brut Champagne
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