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.
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! (But maybe you have four favorite “F”s and are left in the dust on this one?) Being in food, I feel like it’s go time for me.
Elevate your holiday table with this Thanksgiving Punch!
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. It’s safe to say, a delightful batch cocktail is where it’s at.
How to make Cranberry Thanksgiving Punch for a crowd:
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? The recipe calls for sparkling cranberry juice, I’ve been able to find it by the bottle at Trader Joe’s every season so start there. If you can’t find sparkling cranberry a sparkling pomegranate will work too. And if you can’t find either? 3/4 cup of sparkling water and 1 1/4 cups of cranberry juice cocktail will suffice. And honestly, even sparkling cider has been delicious in this. The choice is yours.
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, fresh lemon juice will add a layer of brightness to the flavor profile.
Let’s talk about the Punch Bowl!
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. If you don’t want to serve it in a punch bowl, a pitcher or a large mason jar will obviously work too.
Want to make a CBD-infused Thanksgiving Punch?
Next up? CBD!
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. I love CBDistillery. I trust their product, appreciate their transparency and find it to be reasonably priced. I 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 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.
Tips on making this Thanksgiving punch recipe:
- 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.
And that’s it. If you can pour something out of a bottle, you’re gonna nail this Thanksgiving punch recipe!
Thanksgiving Punch
Ingredients
- 2 cups sparkling cranberry juice
- 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 sparkling cranberry juice, bourbon, amaretto, orange and lemon juice to the punch bowl.
- 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.
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.
