Non-Alcoholic Thanksgiving Punch with Apple Cider
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Everyone deserves a delicious drink, especially at during the holidays! This non-alcoholic Thanksgiving punch recipe is easy to make, easy to sip, and a great alcohol-free option for your guests. It’s a festive drink that’s sure to be a hit at Thanksgiving dinner.
It’s that time of year to gather with the ones we love and enjoy all the fall flavors of a great Thanksgiving menu. People choose nonalcoholic drinks for any number of reasons, many of which are very personal.
To make all of your guests feel welcome, it’s important to set your Thanksgiving table with more than just bottles of wine and pitchers of water.
A delicious holiday punch recipe is a great option at your Thanksgiving gathering. Made with ingredients you can find at your local grocery store, this festive drink is perfect anytime you’re entertaining during the holiday season.
A delicious combination of apple cider, fresh juice, and ginger ale, this Sparkling Non-Alcoholic Thanksgiving Punch is a great way to ensure all of your Thanksgiving guests can enjoy an elegant drink.
Ingredients
See recipe card below for exact amounts.
- Apple cider – A half gallon of fresh apple cider will get you two batches of this punch.
- Cranberry juice – Choose 100% cranberry juice, not cranberry juice cocktail, for this recipe.
- Pear simple syrup – This three ingredient syrup is easy to make at home and can be made up to 2 weeks ahead of when you want to serve the punch.
- Fresh orange juice – Choose a high quality bottled orange juice that’s not from concentrate if you don’t want to squeeze fresh oranges.
- Ginger ale – Adds fizz and sweetness to the punch, while keeping the ginger flavor subtle. If you love ginger, you can swap out the ginger ale for ginger beer for a stronger flavor.
- Cinnamon sticks and fresh cranberries – These garnishes are easy to keep on hand and up the festive factor of your drinks. Don’t want to bother with them? Garnish with fresh apple slices or orange slices.
How to Make Non-Alcoholic Thanksgiving Punch (Step by Step)
Combine apple cider, cranberry juice, pear syrup and orange juice in a large pitcher.
Add ginger ale.
Stir gently.
Serve in glasses over ice.
Garnish with a cinnamon stick and/or fresh cranberries.
Note: Add the cinnamon sticks to the individual glasses, not the pitcher. If you want to add garnish to your pitcher, use fresh cranberries and/or apple slices.
Non-Alcoholic Apple Cider Thanksgiving Punch Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups apple cider
- 1 ½ cups cranberry juice
- 1 ½ cups pear syrup
- 1 cup orange juice
- 12 oz ginger ale
- ½ cup ice
- Cinnamon stick, garnish
Instructions
- Combine apple cider, cranberry juice, pear syrup and orange juice in a large pitcher.
- Add ginger ale and stir gently.
- Serve in glasses over ice with a cinnamon stick and/or fresh cranberries.
Notes
Video
How to Garnish This Thanksgiving Punch
Dress up your drink with garnish! A cinnamon stick is just the start. Fresh cranberries, a slice of apple, a slice of orange, and/or a slice of pear are all fun garnishes to add to – or use instead of – a cinnamon stick.
How to Make Non-Alcoholic Thanksgiving Punch Ahead of Time
If you’re making a pitcher or punch bowl full of mocktail, put everything together ahead of time, but leave out the ginger ale. Add that just as your guests arrive for Thanksgiving and you serve your mocktails.
Make Your Own Pear Simple Syrup
With only 3 ingredients, this pear simple syrup recipe is easy to make and tastes like fresh pears. You can make your pear syrup ahead of time for this recipe. Pear simple syrup is good for up to 2 weeks, so you can make it the weekend before Thanksgiving and have it ready to go when you make your mocktails on the holiday. Get the recipe on my Pear Simple Syrup page.
Making Non-Alcoholic Thanksgiving Mocktails by the Glass
Only want to make a glass of this mocktail? Here are the amounts you need:
- 2 oz apple cider
- 1 oz cranberry juice
- 1 oz pear simple syrup
- 0.5 oz fresh orange juice
- 1 oz ginger ale
- Cinnamon stick (garnish)
Combine apple cider, cranberry juice, pear syrup and orange juice in a cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes. Shake well. Strain into a glass filled with ice. Top with ginger ale. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and/or a few fresh cranberries. Stir, sip and enjoy!
FAQs and Substitutions
You can, but look for one like Simply Apple that is less filtered and has more apple flavor to it. Regular apple juice will work if that’s all you can find.
You make it! Pear simple syrup uses 3 ingredients and takes about 15 minutes to make. One batch will be enough for an entire pitcher full of this Thanksgiving mocktail. >Get the recipe for Pear Simple Syrup
Add 1 cup of your favorite gin or bourbon to make this mocktail into a cocktail. I love adding salted caramel whiskey to this drink when I want a boozy sip.
Try these Non-Alcoholic Drinks by the Pitcher
Looking for other non-alcoholic drink options that you can make for a crowd? Try my red sangria mocktails, apple cider punch, sparkling citrus punch or this delicious pomegranate punch.
I am making this next week–thinking of using a punch bowl instead of a pitcher. What do you think about an ice ring with cranberries?? (maybe orange and/or apple slices too)
I’m an advocate for putting the ice in the glasses instead of the pitcher or punch bowl so it can’t water-down the entire batch of drinks as it melts. So I would recommend freeze the fruit pieces in ice cubes and put those in the individual glasses. That said, if you really want an ice ring, pack it with lots of fruit and don’t put it in until right before you serve the punch. Add the apple slices fresh – they can discolor when frozen. Hope everyone enjoys it! 🙂
The perfect addition to our Thanksgiving table! The kids and adults loved it. We made it exactly as written but thought some carmal vodka would be delicious. Will definitely add this to our annual menu!
So happy to hear everyone liked it! Caramel vodka sounds like a delicious addition.