Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the year, and not just because there's delicious food. It's the perfect day to chill with the cousins you haven't seen all year and get appropriately wasted. We all love turkey and sweet potatoes, but imagine having your entire Thanksgiving dinner in cocktail form? You're already going to sleep off a feast, so you might as well make it a boozy one.
Cocktails and alcoholic drinks are fun regardless of the occasion, but they have a huge benefit to Thanksgiving. Wouldn't it be nice to not give a sh*t when your great aunt starts her rant on vaccines? How lovely would a pumpkin spice cocktail be instead of the pumpkin pie so you don't have to hear your grandmother remark about the weight you've gained since she last saw you? A Thanksgiving dinner in cocktail form is the answer to your prayers, my friend. And if you're worried about feeling seasonal or truly enjoying the traditions of the holiday, I've got you covered there, too. These nine cocktails all carry the tastes and feel of Thanksgiving without a single sweet potato in sight. Grab that martini shaker and call this your turkey day craft.
1Pomegranate Moscow Mule
Start the holiday off right with a pomegranate Moscow mule from Blogging Over Thyme. Made with pomegranate juice, vodka, and ginger beer, it's the perfect aperitif to get your day going and your liver prepared.
2Cucumber Martini
Who needs a salad when you can have a cucumber martini? This recipe from Food & Style is refreshing, sweet, and perfect way to say you got your veggies in.
3Ginger Thyme Dark & Stormy
After you've trimmed the turkey, use that leftover thyme to make this ginger thyme dark and stormy cocktail from The Gouda Life. The herbs combined with the spicy taste of ginger beer and a splash of lemons give you a perfectly fall taste without any sweet potatoes involved.
4Cranberry Ginger Cocktail
Cranberries and Thanksgiving go hand-in-hand, so don't let your turkey day cocktails be any different. Jelly Toast has this marvelous cranberry ginger cocktail, which puts a fun spin on the played out vodka and cranberry drink you guzzled in college. With ginger simple syrup instead of ginger ale, you'll get a sweet, sophisticated taste, too.
5Loaded Blood Mary
Skip the turkey and have a liquid main dish with this loaded bloody Mary from foodiecrush. If you go wild with the garnishes, like asparagus spears, shrimp, and turkey bacon, you can really call it a meal.
6Pumpkin Spice Dark and Stormy
It's not Thanksgiving without a little pumpkin spice, so Kitchen Confidante is here to help you out by boozing it up with a pumpkin spice dark and stormy.
7Sparkling Cranberry Orange Cocktails
After some of the heavier cocktails, you'll want something a little refreshing. To keep the Thanksgiving taste, try a sparkling cranberry orange cocktail from Cooking for Keeps. Plus, it's a super pretty drink.
8Gingery-Appley Hot Toddy
Forget those holiday pies and indulge in a gingery-appley hot toddy from A Cozy Kitchen. Made with apple cider, bourbon, ginger, and cinnamon sticks, you'll get all the flavors of Thanksgiving while getting totally buzzed. Perfect.
9Alpine Mud
And for your dessert of the night? You'll want to enjoy an alpine mud cocktail from Offbeat + Inspired. This decadent drink is a white sage, wild mint, milk, chocolate, and bourbon cocktail that will satisfy your sweet tooth and top off your Thanksgiving boozefest.
Images: Blogging Over Thyme; Food & Style; The Gouda Life; Jelly Toast; foodiecrush; Kitchen Confidante; Cooking for Keeps; A Cozy Kitchen; Offbeat + Inspired
