A boozy but classic bourbon cocktail, this traditional mix of spirits and crushed fruit reminds us that no holiday season is complete without a Thanksgiving old fashioned. In this old fashioned cocktail recipe, the warmth of spice is incorporated through a homemade pumpkin spice syrup. It lends a festive seasonal twist to this easy spiced Thanksgiving bourbon cocktail.
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Stir up these easy Thanksgiving bourbon cocktails with a bar spoon and big cubes of cocktail ice. The cubes will melt slowly into the bourbon old fashioned cocktails making them even better as they sit. It’s the perfect holiday cocktail loaded with layers of fruit and spice that will please all your bourbon lovers.
Cranberry Orange Cocktail Ice makes an elegant touch for holiday drinks
To make the drink festive and colorful, you can pour water into large cocktail ice cube trays and decorate your ice with cranberries and thin orange slices. When ready to serve, grab a big cube and place in the glass.
Pour a good bourbon right over that cube to cool it as it hits the glass. Stir to slowly to chill and combine the drink. Serve this easy spiced Thanksgiving old fashioned cocktail to good company and set the perfect mood just in time for that turkey. Here’s what you’ll need to serve this easy Thanksgiving holiday cocktail.
Ingredients To make a Thanksgiving bourbon cocktail
- Homemade pumpkin spice syrup – see below
- Cranberry juice
- Fresh sliced orange
- Classic Angostura bitters
- Good quality Bourbon – your favorite kind
- Sparkling water
- Large cocktail ice cubes
- Cinnamon sugar
To make the homemade pumpkin spice syrup:
- Combine one cup of water with 3/4 cup packed brown sugar in a small saucepan.
- Now toss in one packet of chai spice tea. This helps to deepen those autumn spice flavors. To the same mixture, add 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.
- Now add 1/4 cup of plain pumpkin puree. I just used plain canned pumpkin puree with nothing added. Whisk in the pumpkin as you bring the syrup to a simmer.
- When the pumpkin spice syrup comes to a simmer, continue to cook over the simmer for an additional 5 minutes then turn the heat off. Cover with a lid and let steep an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove the chai tea bag from the saucepan and discard.
- Grab a small mixing bowl and a fine mesh strainer. Take the saucepan with the spiced syrup and pour it through the fine mesh strainer as you hold it over the bowl. Stir the syrup through with a spoon to help it pass through the strainer. This may take a few minutes depending on the thickness of your pumpkin puree.
- When finished straining, transfer the syrup to a mason jar with a screw top lid. Store in the coolest part of the refrigerator and consume within 3 to 4 weeks. Use in seasonal fall cocktails or make a simple pumpkin spice coffee!
How To Make a Pumpkin SPice Old Fashioned
Add Ice and Bourbon to your thanksgiving bourbon cocktail
Serve this festive Thanksgiving bourbon cocktail nice and cold. A cocktail pick is a nice touch for guests as it helps out the homemade pumpkin syrup which tends to sit lower in the glass. Stir your drink with the pick every now and then to reinvigorate your cocktail and enjoy it to the last drop.
That hint of cranberry adds fruitiness to the pumpkin spice flavor. The bitters and fresh orange enter the spotlight to finish that round of flavors that we know and love so well in a classic old fashioned cocktail. Bourbon is, of course, the big star in this simple spiced Thanksgiving cocktail inspired by the season.
You can serve this easy cranberry pumpkin spice old fashioned at Thanksgiving, but it also makes a great fall cocktail along with this maple apple bourbon cocktail and this sparkling apple cider fall bourbon cocktail. The spiced pumpkin flavor and rich bourbon taste make it a lovely autumn drink.
Cranberry Pumpkin Spice Old Fashioned | Thanksgiving Bourbon Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 oz Pumpkin Spice Syrup - *see notes section below
- 1 oz Cranberry Juice
- 1/2 slice Round Slice of Orange - Slice a round wheel of orange and cut in half. Use a half slice for each cocktail.
- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters - classic bitters
- 2 oz Bourbon
- Cinnamon Sugar - for cocktail rim
- Sparkling Water - for topping off
- 1 large cube Cocktail Ice
Instructions
- Swipe your rocks glass with a wedge of fresh orange and dip into a bit of cinnamon sugar.  If you don’t have cinnamon sugar bottled, combine about 1/2 a teaspoon of ground cinnamon with a tablespoon or so of white sugar, stir, and dip your cup in.
- Slice a round wheel of fresh orange, and then cut that round slice in half. Drop the half slice into the bottom of your rocks glass, reserving the rest of the fruit for more cocktails to come.
- Using a jigger to measure from here on out, splash in the pumpkin spice syrup plus the cranberry juice.
- Add in a few dashes of classic style Angostura bitters.  Muddle the fruit, syrup, bitters, and cranberry juice until the fruit is smashed and citrus oils are released.Â
- Add a large cube of cocktail ice to your rocks glass and splash in 2 ounces of good quality Kentucky Straight bourbon. Â
- Stir together with a bar spoon to combine the spirits, juices, fruit, and syrup.  Stir until the glass begins to cool down nicely and the cocktail is nice and cold.Â
- To finish, add a splash of sparkling water and give one last gentle stir to incorporate light fizz. If your guests like their cocktail a little sweeter, add a bar spoon or so more of the pumpkin syrup and sweeten to taste.  Serve very cold.
Notes
- Combine one cup of water with 3/4 cup packed brown sugar in a small saucepan.
- Now toss in one packet of chai spice tea. This helps to deepen those autumn spice flavors. To the same mixture, add 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.
- Now add 1/4 cup of plain pumpkin puree. I just used plain canned pumpkin puree with nothing added. Whisk in the pumpkin as you bring the syrup to a simmer.
- When the pumpkin spice syrup comes to a simmer, continue to cook over the simmer for an additional 5 minutes then turn the heat off. Cover with a lid and let steep an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove the chai tea bag from the saucepan thoroughly pressing out any additional juices it may have soaked up while steeping, then discard.
- Grab a small mixing bowl and a fine mesh strainer. Take the saucepan with the spiced syrup and pour it through the fine mesh strainer. This may take a few minutes depending on the thickness of your pumpkin puree. Use a spoon and stir to help it pass through.
-  When finished straining, transfer the syrup to a mason jar with a screw top lid. Store in the coolest part of the refrigerator and consume within 3 to 4 weeks.  Use in seasonal fall cocktails or make a simple pumpkin spice coffee!
