12 Bourbon Cocktails That’ll Steal the Show This Thanksgiving

12 Bourbon Cocktails That’ll Steal the Show This Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite day to play bartender. I plan to make a couple of these and my guests are going to really enjoy what I have in store for them. Here’s the lineup that’ll have your crew callin’ you the king of the holiday this year.

Brown Butter Boulevardier

First, make the brown butter wash: melt 2 tablespoons of butter till it smells nutty, mix it into 1 cup Good Trouble Bourbon, let it sit 2 hours, then freeze overnight and strain off the fat. Take 1 oz of that magical brown-butter bourbon, 1 oz Campari, and 1 oz sweet vermouth, stir it all with ice till cold, strain into a chilled coupe, and hit it with an orange twist. Tastes like fall got cozy with your grandpa’s favorite cocktail.

Red Apple & Bourbon Fizz

Grab 2 oz Good Trouble (or Maker’s if that’s what you got), ¾ oz spiced apple syrup, ¾ oz fresh apple juice, and ½ oz lemon juice. Shake the hell out of it with ice, strain into a highball over fresh ice, top with ginger beer, and slap a thin apple wheel dusted with cinnamon on the rim. Bright, crisp, and disappears faster than the stuffing.

Sweet Potato Sour

Roast a sweet potato, mash it smooth, and strain the purée. Take 2 oz Good Trouble Bourbon, 1 oz of that purée, ¾ oz lemon juice, ½ oz spiced brown-sugar syrup (just simmer equal parts brown sugar and water with cinnamon, clove, and allspice), and one egg white. Dry shake first, then shake again with ice, strain into a coupe, and finish with fresh nutmeg and a couple swirls of Angostura bitters. Literally sweet potato pie you can drink.

GT Punch

Batch this beauty the night before: mix 1½ oz Good Trouble per serving with ½ oz fig syrup, ½ oz black tea + sage infusion, and ½ oz lemon juice, then slowly pour into 3 oz whole milk per drink and let it curdle 30 minutes. Strain through a coffee filter till clear, chill it, and serve over ice with a drop of sage oil on top. Looks fancy, tastes smooth as silk, and feeds a crowd without you playin’ bartender all night.

Cranberry Crimson Julep

Make a quick cranberry syrup by simmering 1 cup cranberries, ½ cup sugar, and ½ cup water till the berries pop, then strain. Muddle 6–8 mint leaves with ¾ oz of that syrup and ½ oz lime juice, add 2 oz Good Trouble, ½ oz simple syrup, a single drop of orange blossom water, and ice. Shake hard, fine-strain over crushed ice into a julep cup or coupe, and garnish with a slapped mint sprig and a few cranberries. Red, minty, and dangerous good.

Gold Roast Old Fashioned

Dead simple: 2 oz Bib & Tucker Gold Roast, ½ oz simple syrup, 2 dashes Angostura bitters. Stir over ice for 30 seconds, strain onto a big rock, express an orange peel over the top and drop it in. Coffee and roast notes make it the perfect “leave me alone, the game’s on” drink.

Campfire Old Fashioned

Pour 2 oz Bib & Tucker Double Char, ¼ oz real maple syrup, 2 dashes coffee-pecan bitters, and 2 dashes black walnut bitters into a mixing glass with ice. Stir 30 seconds till cold, strain over fresh ice, and garnish with an orange peel. Smoky, sweet, and tastes like you’re sittin’ by the fire even if you’re just hidin’ in the garage.

Harvest Cortado

In a shaker with ice add 1½ oz Bib & Tucker Gold Roast, a ½ shot of espresso or cold brew, ¼ oz simple syrup, ¾ oz Madeira wine, and 2 dashes Angostura. Shake hard, strain into a small glass, and twist a lemon peel over the top. Better than any Irish coffee you’ve ever had after the pie’s gone.

Christmas in the City

Into a shaker without ice first: 1½ parts Bib & Tucker The Classic Six, 1 part sweet vermouth, ½ part Amaro Montenegro, and 2 dashes chocolate bitters – give it a quick shake to mix, add ice, shake again, then fine-strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with an expressed orange peel and a square of dark chocolate on the rim. Class in a glass.

Bourbon Apple

Easiest crowd-pleaser on the list: 2 oz Bib & Tucker Double Char and 2 dashes baked apple bitters into a mixing glass with ice, stir till cold, strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice, top with soda, and float an apple slice. Light enough to drink all afternoon, tasty enough that nobody believes it only took ten seconds.

The Tennessee Sleigh Ride

2 oz Bib & Tucker Gold Roast, ½ oz lemon juice, 1 big teaspoon orange marmalade. Shake like hell with ice to break up the marmalade, double-strain into a goblet full of fresh ice, top with a splash of soda, orange wheel garnish. Coffee and citrus—tastes like Christmas morning in a glass.

The Holiday Hand

1½ oz Bib & Tucker The Classic Six, ½ oz Campari, ½ oz dry vermouth, 1 barspoon walnut liqueur. Stir everything down with ice like you mean it, strain over a big rock, express an orange peel. Smooth, strong, and just nutty enough for the guy who “only drinks whiskey neat.”

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