Thanksgiving Drinks That Aren't Wine

Thanksgiving is a long day of eating with a lot of standing around beforehand, which is exactly the shape of day where drinks matter. Here's how to cover it without defaulting to wine.

Something to hand people at the door

Guests arrive over an hour and the cook is busy. Batch something the day before and leave it in the fridge with glasses beside it so people serve themselves. Spiced apple works perfectly here: cloudy apple juice, lemon, cinnamon syrup, topped with soda and a grating of nutmeg.

What to pour with the meal

Thanksgiving food is rich, salty and sweet all at once, so what you want is acidity — the job wine usually does. The best non-alcoholic options are the sharp ones:

• Verjus cut with sparkling water. Wine-like acidity, no sweetness, and the closest thing to wine's actual role at the table.
• A cranberry shrub — cranberry, sugar and vinegar. Seasonal, sharp, and it cuts through everything on the plate.
• Strong iced black tea with lemon. Real tannin, which is what makes it work beside turkey.
• Good sparkling water with a citrus twist, so people can reset between courses.

Avoid the sweet options here. A sugary punch alongside sweet potato and cranberry sauce makes the whole plate cloying.

After the meal

This is where the day drags, and where a hot drink does more work than another cold one. Coffee, spiced tea, or a warm spiced apple. If you want something that feels like a nightcap, cold brew with a little demerara syrup and orange zest over a big cube is genuinely excellent after a heavy meal.

If someone at the table isn't drinking

Don't announce it, don't make a separate arrangement, and don't ask them about it in front of everyone. Just make sure whatever non-alcoholic option exists is good, on the table, and poured for everyone — the surest way to make someone comfortable is to make their drink unremarkable.

Recipes that scale to the table: 6 batch mocktails for a crowd.