Thanksgiving Cocktails That Aren't Pumpkin Spice | 3 Elegant Fall Drink Recipes

THE TWIN ROOTS AUTUMN EDIT • GARDEN TO GLASS

The candles are lit. The table is set. Someone has already asked when dinner will be ready. Before the turkey makes its grand entrance, let's give the cocktail hour a little attention.

Forget the pumpkin spice. This Thanksgiving, we're pouring apple cider bourbon, cranberry elderflower gin, and a pear margarita with fresh thyme. Three beautiful seasonal drinks, zero pumpkin puree, and just enough personality to get us through the seating arrangements.

01 The Apple of My Rye

Apple cider, bourbon and cinnamon. A little cozy, a little tart, and dangerously easy to sip. Makes one cocktail.

Ingredients

• 2 oz bourbon or rye whiskey

• 2 oz fresh apple cider

• ½ oz fresh lemon juice

• ¼ oz maple syrup

• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

• Apple slices and a cinnamon stick, to garnish

Method

Add bourbon, apple cider, lemon juice, maple syrup and bitters to a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with thin apple slices and a cinnamon stick.

Twin Roots tasting note: For the relative who says they don't like cocktails, then mysteriously needs a second.

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02 Cranberry & Consequences

Tart cranberry, floral elderflower, fresh rosemary. This jewel-toned beauty is our holiday-table showstopper. Makes one cocktail.

Ingredients

• 1½ oz gin

• 1 oz unsweetened cranberry juice

• ¾ oz St-Germain elderflower liqueur

• ½ oz fresh lemon juice

• ¼ oz simple syrup, optional, to taste

• Fresh rosemary and sugared cranberries, to garnish

Method

Shake the gin, cranberry juice, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice and optional simple syrup with ice. Double-strain into a chilled coupe. Finish with rosemary and sugared cranberries.

Twin Roots tasting note: Pairs beautifully with turkey, stuffing, and pretending you didn't hear that comment from across the table.

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03 Pear Pressure Margarita

Juicy pear, bright lime, and garden-fresh thyme give this margarita an autumn wardrobe. Makes one cocktail.

Ingredients

• 2 oz blanco tequila

• 1½ oz pear nectar

• ¾ oz fresh lime juice

• ½ oz orange liqueur

• ¼ oz thyme simple syrup

• Optional sugar-salt rim

• Pear slice and fresh thyme, to garnish

Method

For thyme syrup, gently warm equal parts sugar and water with a few thyme sprigs until the sugar dissolves; cool and strain. Rim a rocks glass with a little sugar and salt. Shake tequila, pear nectar, lime juice, orange liqueur and thyme syrup with ice. Strain over fresh ice and garnish with pear and thyme.

Twin Roots tasting note: Because sometimes the only thing standing between you and a third helping of mashed potatoes is tequila.

A Little Hosting Note

Prep your garnishes, chill your glasses and mix the syrups ahead of time. Shake each cocktail fresh for the best texture. These recipes are a starting point—adjust sweetness and citrus to your taste.

Hosting Friendsgiving? Bring the Dish. And the Dysfunction.

If these cocktails are making an appearance at your Friendsgiving table, you need our other holiday read: Bring a Dish & Your Dysfunction: A Friendsgiving Worth Gathering For. It's all about gathering your favorite people, embracing a little holiday chaos, and remembering that some guests bring pie while others bring the family group-chat drama. Either way, pour another round. 😂

More Cocktails? We Thought You'd Never Ask.

Three Thanksgiving cocktails are a lovely start. But if your holiday bar cart has bigger ambitions, our Garden to Glass digital cocktail guide on Etsy has even more garden-inspired sips and entertaining inspiration. Because the turkey may be the centerpiece, but the cocktails deserve a little attention too. 🍸

From our garden to your glass, cheers to a Thanksgiving that looks beautiful, tastes delicious, and comes with at least one good story. — Twin Roots Garden Co.