Thanksgiving Cocktails

18 drinks · Updated October 2026

Thanksgiving cocktails are an occasion-based selection, not a historically fixed cocktail family. The recurring choices are apple, maple, warming spices and spirits that work with a substantial meal. Drinks on this page include Applejack Rabbit, Maple Leaf and Autumn Sweater. Applejack Rabbit combines apple brandy with citrus and maple syrup; the Maple Leaf pairs whiskey with lemon and maple. The seasonal label does not change a drink’s classic recipe or establish when it was invented. It is a way to choose among different structures, temperatures and ingredients for the occasion, with alcohol strength determined by the actual measures and dilution.

• Applejack Rabbit

  Classic (printed in Harry Craddock's Savoy Cocktail Book, 1930)

  2 oz Apple brandy 0.75 oz Orange juice 0.5 oz Lemon juice 0.5 oz Maple syrup

• Autumn Sweater

  Brad Thomas Parsons (printed in Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All, 2011)

  1 oz Rye whiskey 0.5 oz Averna 0.5 oz Amaro Nonino 0.5 oz Maple syrup 1 dash Orange bitters

• Maple Leaf

  Classic (printed in Frank Meier's The Artistry of Mixing Drinks, 1936)

  2 oz Bourbon 0.5 oz Lemon juice 0.5 oz Maple syrup

• Pam's Punch

  Shaun Williams, Jewel of the South, New Orleans (2024)

  2 cups Gin 2 cups Cranberry juice 2 cups Ginger ale 1 cup Ginger peach tea 0.5 cup Homemade Sunny D 2 tsp Absinthe

• Crimson Art

  Raven Mina, Death & Co, Los Angeles (2023)

  1 oz Gin 0.5 oz Calvados 0.5 oz Cranberry liqueur 0.25 oz Amaretto 0.75 oz Lemon juice 0.25 oz Simple syrup 1 Egg white 1 dash Orange bitters

• Autumn in New York

  Tyson Buhler, Death & Co (2025)

  1 oz Gin 0.5 oz Apple brandy 0.5 oz Cranberry liqueur 0.5 oz Orange liqueur 0.75 oz Lemon juice 1 dash Angostura bitters

• Pumpkin Sazerac

  Naren Young (2020)

  0.5 tsp Absinthe (rinse) 2 oz Cognac 2 tsp Pumpkin spice syrup 3 dashes Peychaud's bitters

• St Lawrence

  Michael Butt, Soulshakers, London (2001)

  2 oz Bourbon 0.75 oz Maple syrup 0.75 oz Lemon juice 1 tsp Rich simple syrup 2 dashes Angostura bitters

• Pumpkin Toddy

  Jane Danger, PDT, New York (2008, printed in The PDT Cocktail Book, 2011)

  0.5 oz Applejack 0.25 oz Rye whiskey 0.25 oz Lemon juice 0.25 oz Pumpkin spice syrup 0.25 oz Maple syrup 1 dash Angostura bitters 2.75 oz Boiling water

• Pear Shaped

  Jamie Terrell, Dick's Bar at the Atlantic Bar & Grill, London (2003)

  1.5 oz Blended Scotch 0.75 oz Pear liqueur 1 oz Cloudy apple juice 2 tsp Lime juice 1 tsp Vanilla syrup

• Pear & Cardamom Sidecar

  Jason Scott, Oloroso, Edinburgh (2002)

  2 Green cardamom pods 1 oz Cognac 0.75 oz Orange liqueur 0.75 oz Pear liqueur 0.75 oz Lemon juice 1 tsp Rich simple syrup

• Fall From The Tree

  Jim Kearns, The Happiest Hour, New York (2019)

  1.75 oz Calvados 1 oz Cloudy apple juice 0.25 oz Lemon juice 2 tsp Cinnamon syrup 1 dash Angostura bitters

• Fall Back

  Sasha Petraske, John Dory Oyster Bar, New York (c. 2012)

  1 oz Rye whiskey 1 oz Apple brandy 0.75 oz Sweet vermouth 0.5 oz Amaro Nonino 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters

• Fish House Punch

  Schuylkill Fishing Company, Philadelphia (18th century)

  1 oz Cognac 1 oz Gold rum 0.75 oz Peach liqueur 1 oz Cold black tea 0.5 oz Lemon juice 2 tsp Rich simple syrup

• Benton's Old Fashioned

  Don Lee, PDT, New York (2007)

  2 oz Bacon fat-washed bourbon 0.25 oz Maple syrup (Grade A dark) 2 dashes Angostura bitters

• Flannel Shirt

  Jeffrey Morgenthaler (2011)

  1.75 oz Blended Scotch 1.5 oz Apple cider 0.5 oz Averna 0.25 oz Lemon juice 1 tsp Demerara syrup 0.5 tsp Allspice dram 2 dashes Angostura bitters

• American Trilogy

  Richie Boccato and Michael McIlroy, Little Branch, New York

  1 oz Rye whiskey 1 oz Apple brandy (bonded) 1 bsp Rich simple syrup 2 dashes Orange bitters

• Newark

  Jim Meehan and John Deragon, PDT, New York (2007)

  2 oz Apple brandy (bonded) 1 oz Sweet vermouth 0.25 oz Fernet-Branca 0.25 oz Maraschino liqueur