Every holiday meal needs some fabulous drink recipes to complement the food. When I’m entertaining in the fall and winter, I turn to recipes such as slow cooker apple cider, lime sherbet punch, Grinch punch and this beautiful and delicious Thanksgiving punch. We always spend so much time preparing Thanksgiving recipes like smoked turkey, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, homemade dinner rolls and Southern cornbread dressing. But what about the beverages? This kid friendly Thanksgiving punch takes just minutes to put together, and your guests will be so impressed. It’s the perfect blend of fall flavors.
Thanksgiving Punch Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need cranberry juice cocktail, apple juice or apple cider, ginger ale and orange juice. You can also include garnishes such as cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, orange slices, pomegranate seeds, pear slices, fresh cranberries and sliced apples.
How Do You Make Thanksgiving Punch?
Pour the cranberry juice cocktail into a pitcher or punch bowl. Add the orange juice and apple juice, then stir to combine. Finally, add the ginger ale and gently mix everything together. Add some garnishes if you like, such as spices and fresh fruit, then serve and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Punch
I use cranberry juice cocktail in this recipe. Do not use 100% cranberry juice as it is very tart and the punch will not be sweet enough. Apple cider and apple juice both work well in this punch. Apple cider often contains spices such as cinnamon. If you’re using apple juice, look for a high quality unfiltered apple juice for the most flavor. This punch is best when served immediately, as the ginger ale will go flat over time as it sits. If you’d like to make the drink in advance, mix together the orange juice, cranberry cocktail and apple juice. Store this mixture in the fridge for up to 2 days, then add the ginger ale and garnishes right before serving. If you’re serving big crowd, double all the ingredients for a larger batch.
Flavor Variations
This punch is delicious as-is, but you can add other ingredients to customize the flavors to your tastes.
Juice: You can use other types of juice such as pomegranate juice, blood orange juice, white grape juice, pear juice or cherry juice. Soda: Swap out the ginger ale for lemon lime soda or orange flavored sparkling water. Alcohol: Make this an adult punch by using ginger beer instead of ginger ale, hard cider instead of apple cider. Another option is to add up to 1 cup of vodka, bourbon or brandy.
Once you try this punch, you’ll find yourself making it every year. It’s just that good!
