Boozy Apple Cider For Thanksgiving Recipe

To make this playful autumnal cocktail, you need to stock up on a few alcohol types and some garnish elements. To make the drink's sweet cinnamon sugar rim, which is meant to replicate the dusting of cinnamon sugar on an apple cider donut, you will need a lemon wedge, cinnamon and granulated sugar. To make the cocktail itself, you will need apple juice, preferably unsweetened and unfiltered, whiskey, and sparkling hard apple cider. You can also use sparkling water to top the drink. Finally, for a garnish, you will need fresh apple slices, star anise, and another lemon slice.

Hard cider is at the heart of this drink, alongside the unsweetened, unfiltered apple juice. They give the drink its apple flavor, tying it to fall produce and giving it a fun, not overly sweet and cozy vibe. We love making the drink with sparkling cider, as it gives the drink a vivacious touch that fizzes gently upon drinking, making it suitable for a party or Thanksgiving dinner.

However, if you are not a fan of sparkling cider, or if it not available for you, you can substitute another variety of hard cider in this drink. Look for a dry or semi-dry cider, which will balance out the juice's sweetness and not take it in a cloying direction. But if you're a fan of sweet drinks, or want to add more sugar to the cocktail, you can also use your favorite sweet hard cider. To give the drink a totally different spin that is still appropriate for Thanksgiving, you can also try a cranberry-apple cider for tanginess or a ginger apple cider, which will add some spice.

The holidays are a time of indulgence, but this can often mean there is a big emphasis on alcohol, making those who abstain from it often feel overlooked or pressured. Luckily, making this Thanksgiving cocktail non-alcoholic is an easy matter or replacing the spirits — whiskey and hard apple cider — with a few other ingredients. This will mean that children or adults avoiding alcohol can still enjoy the festive, autumnal and spiced vibes of this Thanksgiving drink. To make up for the absence of alcohol while still keeping the drink's body, we recommending using sparkling non-alcoholic cider and sparkling water. To substitute for the whiskey, increase the amount of sparkling cider and water to six ounces in total.

If you cannot find non-alcoholic sparkling apple cider, increase the apple juice to 6 ounces, and add four ounces of sparkling water. You may also want to add a bit of simple syrup to make up for the lack of sugar that comes from the hard cider. Even without alcohol, the flavors of apple, cinnamon and citrus will still come through in the drink, keeping its balance and fall spirit but making it more accessible for everyone.