Non-Alcoholic Thanksgiving Drinks That Beat Soda at Every Seat
Somebody at your Thanksgiving table is driving home tonight, and they deserve better than flat ginger ale.
Count them up. The kids. The cousin who’s on call. The friend who quit drinking. The guy driving two hours home after pie. Most hosts hand that whole group a can of soda. We think their drink should look like it belongs on the table, and it only takes a few jars of lemonade to get there.
Why Lemonade Belongs Next to the Turkey
Wine earns its spot at Thanksgiving because acid cuts through gravy and butter, so the next bite tastes like the first. Soda can’t do that. It’s just sweet. Brewed lemonade is tart enough to reset your palate, and cranberry adds a sharper finish that plays with turkey the same way cranberry sauce does.
The Cranberry Lemonade Punch That Carries the Whole Day
AZ Lemonade Stand Cranberry Lemonade comes back every fall for a limited run, and this punch is the reason it exists.
What you need
- 2 parts AZ Lemonade Stand Cranberry Lemonade, chilled
- 1 part sparkling water, chilled
- A handful of frozen cranberries
- 1 orange, sliced thin
- A few sprigs of fresh rosemary
How to build it
Pour the Cranberry Lemonade into a punch bowl, float the orange slices and cranberries on top, then tuck in the rosemary. Add the sparkling water right before guests walk in. The frozen cranberries double as ice, so nothing gets watered down.
Plan on about two cups per non-drinker. For a table of 12, that’s roughly a gallon and a half.
Key takeaway: add the bubbles last. Sparkling water poured an hour early turns punch into flat juice.
Thanksgiving Mocktail Ideas for the Rest of the Table
Cranberry ginger spritz
Pour equal parts Cranberry Lemonade and ginger beer over ice in a wine glass and squeeze in some lime. Ginger’s heat gives you the bite people miss when they skip alcohol. Use a stemmed glass, too. People who aren’t drinking notice when their glass looks different from everyone else’s.
Warm spiced huckleberry lemonade
This one’s for Utah, Montana and Wyoming nights that drop below freezing before dessert. Warm AZ Lemonade Stand Huckleberry Lemonade over low heat with a cinnamon stick, a few whole cloves and a strip of orange peel. Keep it at a gentle steam, not a boil, or the fruit flavor goes flat. Ladle it into mugs next to the pie.
Sage lemon fizz
Press two sage leaves in the bottom of a glass, add ice, fill it two-thirds with AZ Lemonade Stand Original Lemonade and top with soda water. Sage is already in your stuffing, so this one ties right into the meal. Our recipes page has more ideas to riff on.
Something for the kids
Sugar the rim of a mason jar and pour in Cranberry Lemonade over ice. Kids want what the adults are having, and drinking out of a jar feels like a big-kid move.
Friendsgiving Drink Ideas for the Weekend Before
Thanksgiving falls on November 26, so most Friendsgivings land on November 21 and 22. Half the room will show up with mac and cheese. Be the one who brings the drink. Carry the Cranberry Lemonade in its jars and the sparkling water separately, then mix when you get there so it stays fizzy.
In Phoenix and El Paso, it’s still patio weather. Swap the punch base for AZ Lemonade Stand Prickly Pear Lemonade, go heavy on ice and keep the dispenser in the shade.
For Retailers Stocking Up for the Holidays
November shoppers are building a meal, not browsing the juice aisle. Stock Cranberry Lemonade near the cranberry sauce and sparkling water, and tag it as seasonal so people know it won’t be around long. If you carry us in Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming or the El Paso area, talk to your distributor now so you’re stocked before Friendsgiving weekend.
Grab Cranberry Lemonade Before It’s Gone
Cranberry Lemonade leaves when the holidays do. Find a store near you on our locations page, order online, or check out the full lineup on our flavors page. And when the dishes are done, don’t toss those mason jars. Take a look at our jar return program, or use them as an upcycled project, tag us in the results!
