Thanksgiving Punch

This Thanksgiving Punch from The Whole Smiths makes a delicious and festive batch cocktail to serve at your Thanksgiving celebration. You even have the option to add some CBD to bring the extra chill Thanksgiving vibes you may be needing.

overhead shot of a glass of Cranberry Thanksgiving Punch with a twig of rosemary

Your Thanksgiving Needs a Punch.

Ahhh Thanksgiving, the time of year that we must listen to our crazy uncles wacky political rants all the while stuffing our faces with as much food as possible to comfort our souls. The American tradition. Joking! Kinda? I actually adore Thanksgiving. It covers my three favorite “F”s; Family, food and football! Being in the food game, I feel like it’s go time for me. My time to shine if you will.

If you’ve been to my house for a meal you know that I love a good, clean(ish) cocktail. But I gotta tell you, it’s a real pain playing bartender when you have 10 different dishes going and you’re trying to mix everyones’ drink as you do. It’s safe to say, a delightful batch cocktail is where it’s at and it maximizes your hostessing.

overhead shot of a big punch bowl filled with Thanksgiving punch

Ingredient Variations for Your Thanksgiving Punch.

I know you’re here for the recipe and not to talk about your favorite “F”s, so let’s do a few tips and move right into the recipe, shall we? First off, this recipe is a breeze to batch. Your 3rd grade basic multiplication skills will take you far here. As is, the recipe will make 4-6 servings. If you’re just making it for a couple of people, I recommend you make the entire batch and store it in an airtight mason jar in your refrigerator for future use.

Or better yet! Reserve the rest for gifting. You can package the remaining cocktail up into individual mason jars with an adorable bow for the ultimate hostess gift. With that said, you can obviously create an entire batch solely for the purpose of gifting it.

The recipe calls for unsweetened cranberry juice, but pomegranate will work too. This recipe uses unsweetened cranberry juice so that you can control the level of sweetness. I personally don’t like an every sweetened cocktail so I use a small amount but you can always add more to your liking.  The choice is yours.

ingredients for making CBD infused Thanksgiving punch with cranberry juice and rosemary on a kitchen counter

As far as the rest of the ingredients, it’s going to taste better if you use freshly squeezed lemon and orange juice. That’s just life people. But I get that may be a lot of labor if you’re making a large batch. If you’re up for the squeezing, I’d say it’s well worth it. At the very minimum, buy the OJ and squeeze the lemon as fresh lemon juice will add a layer of brightness to the flavor profile.

Serving Your Thanksgiving Punch with Style.

The punch bowl. I know you’ll ask about it. I love this one that’s featured in the photos from Amazon and think it’s at a very reasonable price. Considering they’re also selling gaudy, plastic, fake crystal ones for $20, spring for the nice, modern one. It’s not only a more sustainable option as you can reuse it over and over again, but it doesn’t look tacky There I said it.

If you don’t want to serve it in a punch bowl, a pitcher or a large mason jar will obviously work too.

overhead shot of a bowl of CBD infused Cranberry Thanksgiving Punch with plenty of fruit

As far as what glass to serve this punch in, my favorite is actually a festive red wine glass. I used a clear glass in these photos to best showcase the actual punch but when I serve it at home I typically serve it in more of a goblet style glass. You can use any clear glass but personally at the Holidays I like to jazz things up. Anthropologie always has beautiful glasses and I get much of my glassware there, like these gorgeous ones

Adding CBD to Your Thanksgiving Punch. 

Next up? CBD!Totally option but it’s always a fun add.

You’re hearing all about it these days and it’s completely optional in this case. It won’t alter the taste if you use an isolate and it’s a great way to add a bit of health benefit to an otherwise non-healthy (but deliciously indulgent and totally ok) beverage.

When sourcing CBD it’s important to find a solid brand.  CBDistillery has become a company I trust for their product, I appreciate their transparency and find it to be reasonably priced. For this recipe, I like to use their CBDelicious product and sprinkle a bit in. If you aren’t bothered by the taste, feel free to add some of your CBD oil to individual servings instead of the powder isolate. Truthfully, you probably won’t taste it all that much anyway.

The amount is going to depend on you, everyone has a different amount they like. Start small and add more if you’d like. Feel free to use “WHOLESMITHS” at checkout for a discount.

side view of a glass of Cranberry Thanksgiving Punch infused with CBD

Tips, Tricks, & Hacks. 

  1. The proportions. The recipe detailed below will make a batch that serves 4. I made it smaller on purpose so those that aren’t serving large crowds can partake and you can easily adjust it for your particular needs.
  2. You can double, triple or quadruple the Cranberry Thanksgiving punch recipe as needed to satisfy your guests.
  3. Freshly squeezed lemon and orange juice are best for this recipe. If I had to decide, I’d say definitely go for the fresh lemon juice and use store-bought orange juice! 
  4. If adding CBD, start with a small amount and add more if you’d like. 

And that’s it. If you can pour something out of a bottle, you’re gonna nail this Thanksgiving Punch recipe.

side view of a longdrink glass filled with Thanksgiving Punch with a punch bowl in the background

Thanksgiving Punch

This Thanksgiving Punch from The Whole Smiths makes a delicious and festive batch cocktail to serve at your Thanksgiving celebration. You even have the option to add some CBD to bring the extra chill Thanksgiving vibes you may be needing.
Prep Time3 minutes
Total Time3 minutes
Course: Beverage / Drink
Cuisine: American
Keyword: drinks with CBD, holiday punch recipe, Thanksgiving cocktail
Servings: 4
Calories: 299kcal
Author: Michelle

Ingredients

  • 2 cups unsweetened cranberry juice pomegranate works as well
  • 1 cup bourbon
  • 1/2 cup Amaretto
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 1 orange thinly sliced for garnish
  • 1 lemon thinly sliced for garnish
  • 1/2 cup whole cranberries for garnish
  • 4 sprigs rosemary for garnish
  • 3 cinnamon sticks

Instructions

  • Add the cranberry juice, bourbon, amaretto, orange and lemon juice to the punch bowl and stir. Add CBD now if using.
  •  Add the fruit slices, cranberries, and two cinnamon sticks to the punch bowl.
  • To serve, ladle some punch into a glass with ice and garnish with a sprig of rosemary and a bit of freshly grated cinnamon r a cinnamon stick.

Notes

 

  • The proportions. The recipe detailed below will make a batch that serves 4. I made it smaller on purpose so those that aren’t serving large crowds can partake and you can easily adjust it for your particular needs.
  • You can double, triple or quadruple the Cranberry Thanksgiving punch recipe as needed to satisfy your guests.
  • Freshly squeezed lemon and orange juice are best for this recipe. If I had to decide, I'd say definitely go for the fresh lemon juice and use store-bought orange juice! 
  • If adding CBD, start with a small amount and add more if you’d like. 
did you make this recipe?Tag @thewholesmiths on Instagram

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating