What you’ll need

• Large pitcher. For mixing the drinks in batches
• Measuring cups. For juice and liquid ratios
• Long spoon. For stirring with fruit and spices
• Serving glasses. Tall glasses with ice
• Citrus juicer. If fresh citrus is used

Every Thanksgiving table has people not drinking — pregnant guests, designated drivers, kids, and anyone who just does not want to. Handing them a soda while everyone else has a cocktail is a small failure of hospitality. These are non-alcoholic drinks that are actually worth serving, and they are all made ahead.

[Photo: a mug of spiced cider with a cinnamon stick next to a wine glass of sparkling cranberry with rosemary]

Something warm

Spiced apple cider (stovetop or slow cooker)

• ½ gallon apple cider
• 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 teaspoon whole cloves, 1 teaspoon allspice berries, 3 star anise
• 1 orange, sliced
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional, taste first)

Simmer 20 minutes on the stove, or hold on low in a slow cooker for the whole afternoon, it fills the house with the right smell. Strain out the spices before they turn it bitter. Adults can add a splash of bourbon or rum to their own mug.

Hot chocolate bar

A pot of good hot chocolate (whole milk, chopped dark chocolate, a pinch of salt) with bowls of toppings: whipped cream, marshmallows, crushed candy cane, cinnamon, caramel. The kids’ favorite, and it keeps them at the table.

Something sparkling

Sparkling cranberry spritz

• 3 oz cranberry juice (not cocktail, 100% juice, less sweet)
• 1 oz fresh orange juice
• ½ oz rosemary simple syrup
• Top with sparkling water or non-alcoholic sparkling wine
• Garnish: fresh cranberries, rosemary sprig

Build over ice. This is the direct non-alcoholic version of the cocktail everyone else is drinking, see our Thanksgiving mocktail for more variations.

Apple ginger fizz

Apple cider, a squeeze of lemon, and ginger beer over ice, with an apple slice. Three ingredients, no syrup to make.

Something for a crowd

For a big group, a non-alcoholic punch does the same job a batch cocktail does, make it once, set it out, done. Our Thanksgiving punch recipe covers a cranberry-apple-ginger version with a sherbet float.

Serving notes

• Same glassware as the cocktails. A mocktail in a nice glass reads as a real drink; the same thing in a plastic cup does not.
• Put it at the same station. Non-drinkers should not have to ask or go to the kitchen.
• Make the bases ahead: the cider spice mix, the rosemary syrup, the hot chocolate base. Add carbonation and ice to order.
• Less sweet than you think. Use 100% juice, not “juice cocktail,” and go easy on added syrup, the meal is already rich.

Frequently asked questions

What non-alcoholic drink should I serve at Thanksgiving?

A warm one (spiced apple cider), a sparkling one (cranberry spritz or apple ginger fizz), and a hot chocolate bar for kids. Serve them in proper glasses at the same station as the cocktails.

Can I make non-alcoholic Thanksgiving drinks ahead?

Yes. Make the cider spice blend, any simple syrups, and the hot chocolate base ahead. Add sparkling water or ginger beer and ice when you pour.

What’s a good non-alcoholic drink that isn’t just soda?

A cranberry spritz, 100% cranberry juice, orange juice, a rosemary simple syrup, topped with sparkling water. It is the direct non-alcoholic match to the cocktail everyone else is having.

How do I keep apple cider warm all afternoon?

A slow cooker on low. Strain out the whole spices after the first hour so it does not turn bitter, and top up with fresh cider as it goes down.

The bottom line

A warm cider on the slow cooker, a sparkling cranberry drink, and a hot chocolate bar, all made ahead, all served in real glasses at the main drink station. Look after the people who are not drinking.

Save it so the non-drinkers get more than a can next year.