This Thanksgiving Mocktail is perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any time during the Fall and Winter months. Drinkers and non-drinkers alike will love it!
If you're in need of more non-alcoholic recipes, I have more! Try my Virgin Margaritas or Peach Iced Tea. Sorrel Drink is another really delicious option!

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🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's easy to make. All you need to do is pour three ingredients into a glass over ice!
- It's festive. Bright red color and seasonal flavors make this mocktail perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- It's delicious. Plain and simple! It's sweet and spicy.
💭 What is a mocktail?
A "mocktail" is a cocktail without the alcohol! Mock + cocktail = mocktail. Get it?
They're often festive and beautiful, and are attractive alternatives to drinking alcohol - whether you typically imbibe or not!
📝 What ingredients go into this drink?
- Cranberry juice: You can use either pure cranberry juice or a cranberry juice cocktail. I used the latter. Just keep in mind that the two options vary quite a bit in sweetness.
- Apple cider: Though I've found that apple cider can be found in grocery stores pretty much year round, what better time to enjoy some (hopefully local!) apple cider than during the Fall and Winter months?
- Ginger beer: Since this is a mocktail, make sure to reach for a ginger beer that doesn't have any alcohol. I'm a fan of Fever Tree, but use whatever you like.
- Garnish: As always, a garnish isn't a mandatory addition to your drink. But look at how pretty it is! I highly recommend skewering a few sugared cranberries on a cocktail pick and perching them on the rim of your glass.
👩🏻🍳 How do you make it?
It's extremely easy to make this mocktail. All you need to do is pour the juices into a glass over ice (I like to use a single large cube) and top it off with some bubbly ginger beer!
If you're feeling it, you can garnish your drink just before sipping.

🔗 Other non-alcoholic drinks
I have quite a few other non-alcoholic drink recipes on this blog. Check them out here. I've also pulled out a few and listed them below, along with links to recipes from other lovely bloggers.
- Harry Potter Pumpkin Juice from Sweet Tea and Thyme
- Homemade Italian Sodas from A Nerd Cooks
- Sparkling Citrus Pomegranate Mocktail from Mitten Girl
- Blue Hawaiian Mocktail from Level Up Bakes

❓ FAQs/Tips and tricks
Sure! I'd recommend mixing up a larger batch (just scale the ingredients up depending on how many drinks you want to make) of the cranberry juice and apple cider, and storing it in the fridge until you're ready to use it. Then, add the ginger beer right before drinking. You don't want it to lose its carbonation.
Sure, you can add a little something to this mocktail to make it a cocktail. Bourbon or vanilla vodka would be particularly good, in my opinion.
You can use either, depending on your preference for sweetness.
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✨ Recipe

Thanksgiving Mocktail
Equipment
- Cocktail jigger
- Cocktail picks for garnish
Ingredients
- 2 ounces cranberry juice cocktail
- 2 ounces apple cider
- 2 ounces ginger beer
- sugared cranberries for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Pour the cranberry juice cocktail and apple cider into a glass over ice.
- Top with ginger beer.
- Garnish with sugared cranberries on a cocktail pick, if desired.
Notes
- You can make a bigger batch of this drink by scaling the ingredients up proportionally
- Use cranberry juice or cranberry juice cocktail, depending upon your preference
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.
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