Fall Drinks Fit For Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is coming up fast, and time to get your menus sorted out. Why not plan a festive welcome drink to enjoy before the big feast? Here are six that we like for 2026.

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Pumpkin Chaitini

Course Drinks

Keyword agave, Angostura bitters, egg white, lemon, pear, pear syrup, reposado tequila

Ingredients

• 1 bar spoon Aquafaba
• 1 ½ oz. Pumpkin spice syrup
• 1 oz. Chilled chai tea
• 1 oz. Half & half
• 1 ½ oz. Ketel One Vodka
• Sweet vanilla cold foam

Instructions

• Combine ingredients and shake.
• Strain into coupe glass
• Top with sweet vanilla cold foam
• Garnish with biscotti and vanilla bean.

Notes

Manoli Vlachakis, lead bartender at Society 48 at The Belgrove Resort & Spa West Palm Beach, created this recipe.

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Ginger-Chamo Mule

Course Drinks

Keyword Chamomile tea, ginger whiskey, lime, Simple syrup

Ingredients

• ½ oz. Misunderstood ginger whiskey
• ¾ oz. Lime
• ¾ oz. Chamomile tea syrup
• Pink apple kombucha

Instructions

• Combine first three ingredients and shake.
• Pour into rocks glass.
• Top with pink apple kombucha
• Garnish with lemon wheel.

Notes

The mixologists at Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, NY, created this recipe.

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Plum Spritz

Course Drinks

Keyword cardamom, cava, fortified wine, orange, plum liqueur, plums

Ingredients

• 2 oz. Umeshu ume plum liqueur
• ½ oz. Fortified wine
• ¼ Plum sliced (plus 2 slices for garnish)
• ½ oz. Orange oleo don’t use if plum is already sweet
• 3 oz. Cava
• ½ Cardamom pod crushed

Instructions

• Muddle plum in mixing glass.
• Add plum liqueur, fortified wine, cardamom and oleo.
• Shake and strain into wine glass.
• Top with cava and stir.
• Add two plum slices to glass.
• Garnish with a thyme sprig and orange slice and an edible fall flower, if available.

Notes

Jorge Centeno, mixologist at The Bar at Deer Path Inn in Lake Forest, IL, created this recipe.

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Earl Grey Orchard Sour

Course Drinks

Keyword cloudy apple juice, Earl Gray tea, egg white, gin, honey syrup, lemon

Ingredients

• 2 oz. Earl Grey-infused Vara High Desert gin*
• ¾ oz. Fresh lemon juice
• ¾ oz. Unfiltered apple cider
• ½ oz. Honey syrup
• ½ oz. Egg white or aquafaba
• Thin apple fan or lemon twist for garnish

Instructions

• Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker without ice.
• Shake vigorously for about 10 seconds.
• Add ice and shake again until thoroughly chilled.
• Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
• Garnish with a thin apple fan or expressed lemon twist.

Notes

*For Earl Grey-infused gin:
Add one Earl Grey tea bag to 8 oz. gin. Infuse for 20 minutes, then taste. Continue infusing for up to 10 additional minutes if a stronger tea flavor is desired. Remove the tea bag and store the gin in a sealed container.

The mixologists at Vara created this recipe.

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Spiced Pear Reposado Old Fashioned

Course Drinks

Keyword black walnut bitters, Demerara syrup, fennel bitters, pear, reposado tequila, spiced pear liqueur

Ingredients

• 2 parts Código 1530 reposado tequila
• ½ part Spiced pear liqueur
• ¼ part Rich demerara syrup
• 1 dash Fennel bitters
• 1 dash Black walnut bitters
• 1 Luxardo cherry
• 2 thin Pear slices for garnish
• 1 large ice cube

Instructions

• Add tequila, spiced pear liqueur, rich demerara syrup and walnut bitters to an Old Fashioned glass over one large ice cube.
• Stir with a bar spoon for about 20 seconds, until the glass is noticeably cold.
• Garnish with two thin pear slices and a Luxardo cherry.

Notes

The mixologists at Código created this recipe.

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Carajillo Old Fashioned

Course Drinks

Keyword Angostura bitters, bourbon, coffee liqueur, Licor 43, orange bitters

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ oz. Branch & Barrel straight bourbon
• ½ oz. Licor 43
• ¼ oz. Coffee liqueur
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 dash Orange bitters

Instructions

• Combine ingredients and stir with ice.
• Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube.
• Garnish with an expressed orange peel and a cocktail cherry.

Notes

The mixologists at Branch & Barrel created this recipe.