Friendsgiving 2026: A Bourbon Cider Punch for 12, a Warm Spiced Wine and 8 Bottles from $10.99
Friendsgiving has one big advantage over the real holiday: nobody is arguing about the turkey, so the drinks can be the project. The problem is the usual one. If you spend the party shaking cocktails one at a time you miss the party, and if you buy ten different bottles you end up with nine half-full ones in January. This guide fixes both with a single batch bourbon punch that serves twelve, a warm spiced wine for the people who skip whiskey, a two-ingredient shortcut for a small table, and eight bottles that cover all of it. Prices are live today and everything is in stock.
The 8 bottles for the Friendsgiving bar
The base: one bourbon for the batch
Batch cocktails dilute and sweeten, so skip the rare stuff and pick a bourbon with a firm backbone. Four Roses Small Batch ($37.99) is our default recommendation: soft, fruity and floral, and it will not fight the cider. Bulleit Bourbon ($37.99) has a higher rye content and a spicier edge that stands up to cinnamon and clove. For a bigger, oakier punch, try Wild Turkey Longbranch ($39.99) or Woodford Reserve ($44.99), both of which keep their character when the ice melts. Browse the rest of the bourbon collection if you have a favorite of your own.
The recipe: Bourbon Cider Punch (serves 12)
Build this in a large pitcher or drink dispenser up to six hours ahead, and keep it cold.
- 18 oz bourbon (a little more than two cups; one 750 mL bottle has plenty)
- 48 oz fresh apple cider, not apple juice
- 6 oz fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
- 2 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram ($37.99), a Jamaican allspice liqueur made with pot-still rum that tastes of clove, cinnamon and nutmeg
- 20 dashes aromatic bitters
- Orange slices and cinnamon sticks to garnish
Stir everything together except the garnish, taste, and add a splash more cider if your bourbon is high proof. Serve over a big block of ice (one large piece melts far slower than cubes), or pour into rocks glasses over fresh ice. That works out to 1.5 oz of bourbon per drink, a normal cocktail pour, with enough cider and lemon to keep it a sipper through dinner. The allspice dram does the heavy lifting: two ounces across twelve drinks is just enough to make people ask what is in it.
The honey variation
If your table skews sweet, replace one third of the bourbon with Wild Turkey American Honey ($27.99). It is a 71 proof liqueur built on real Wild Turkey bourbon with honey, caramel and orange notes, and it also makes a good shot-and-a-beer chaser for the late-night crew. Cut the lemon by an ounce when you use it so the punch does not go cloying.
The no-work option: a bottled Old Fashioned
For a small table, or for the guest who volunteers to bring something, Penelope Apple Cinnamon Old Fashioned ($24.99) is a ready-to-pour cocktail made from straight bourbon and rye whiskey with apple cinnamon bitters and simple syrup, bottled at 80 proof. Pour it over ice, add an orange peel, and you have an Old Fashioned that tastes of apple pie and warm cider. We have more of these shortcuts in our ready to drink collection, and if you want to build the cocktail from scratch instead, our apple season bourbon cocktails guide has the recipes.
For the guests who do not drink whiskey: warm spiced wine
Brotherhood Holiday Spiced Wine ($10.99) is made in New York's Hudson Valley with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and allspice, and the label says to heat it. Warm it gently in a saucepan or slow cooker, never let it boil, and keep it on low with a few orange slices floating on top. It costs less than any other bottle in this guide, which makes it the easiest add-on for a crowd. For more table wine, our Thanksgiving wine guide covers what to pour with turkey and every side, and the wine collection has more reds.
Make-ahead math and hosting tips
The punch scales cleanly. Plan on two to three drinks per guest over an evening, so a party of eight needs about one and a half batches. One 750 mL bottle of bourbon holds roughly sixteen 1.5 oz pours, which means a single bottle covers the twelve-person recipe with a little left over to sip. Keep the lemon juice and cider cold and combine them with the bourbon the day before; add the allspice dram and bitters an hour before guests arrive so their aroma stays bright. Set out a small bowl of extra orange slices and cinnamon sticks so guests can garnish their own, and have a pitcher of plain water on the table. A good host also keeps a non-alcoholic option, and plain warm cider with a cinnamon stick is the easiest one: the same cider that goes into the punch, simply heated.
A simple plan for the night
Arrive with the punch chilled, a dispenser or pitcher, and a bucket of ice. Put the warm spiced wine on the stove at the start of dinner. Keep one bourbon bottle on the counter for anyone who wants theirs neat, and the bottled Old Fashioned in the fridge as a backup. Cold weather, a long table and a batch that is already made: that is the whole formula. If your Friendsgiving falls closer to Halloween than Thanksgiving, our Halloween cocktails guide works the same way, and for a hot nightcap try the Hot Toddy or the Black Manhattan.
Stock the bar
Ready to buy? Start with the bourbon collection, round out the bar with cordials and liqueurs, and check Best Sellers for what other hosts are picking up this month. Order early in the week and everything arrives well before the party.
