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Kicking off the Thanksgiving cocktail season. Fresh apple juice combined with vodka, orange liquor, and lemon, along with a sweet honey, ginger, and sage syrup. Mix everything together to create a simple, but super delicious, pitcher style cocktail that will make entertaining this Thanksgiving stress free. When guests arrive, simply top each drink off with sparkling water to add a little fizz. Everyone will love this seasonal and festive cocktail!
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Welcome to the first cocktail Saturday of November! Today marks the official start of the “holiday” drinks. I have a lineup of fun and festive cocktails that I’m very exited to share over the next couple of months. And today is just the start! If you have any cocktails you’d like to see this holiday season, leave me a comment (email or DM me on Instagram)!! I have many drinks already planned. But I always try to make room for a couple of last-minute inspirations…as those recipes often tend to end up as personal favorites!!
Alright, so this spritz. It’s deliciously good. Super simple. And pretty much perfect for Thanksgiving. Because it’s a pitcher drink, this means no mixing up of cocktail after cocktail. No, no, no, none of that.
One of my main goals this Thanksgiving is easy, breezy entertaining. Last Thanksgiving was spent back in Cleveland after my Nonnie’s passing. It wasn’t one of my greatest. Especially not being able to work out of my own kitchen. So I’m determined to make this year’s Thanksgiving beyond good. And that means planning make-ahead recipes, and some really dang good cocktails.
Why You’ll Love This
- Quick, no-fuss build right in the glass; festive without the fuss.
- Flexible: works as a cocktail or mocktail, single-serve or pitcher.
To make this spritz, start with the syrup. It’s mix of honey, ginger, and sage. It’s all things sweet and savory, and adds an extra special touch to this drink.
Once you have the syrup, mix that together with vodka, orange liqueur, apple juice (be sure to use a good, high quality apple juice or cider), and lemon. Store the spritz in the fridge until ready to serve. I love letting the spritz sit in the fridge a few hours, or even overnight, to really let the ginger and sage flavor the entire drink.
Just before serving add the sparkling water, and done.
I love the zesty orange flavors with the sweet apple and hints of ginger and sage. It’s kind of fancy, just a little sweet, citrusy, and spiced up with ginger. Truly the ultimate fall cocktail that no one can turn down!
FAQ Block
Can I make this without alcohol?
Yes—use club soda or a dry NA sparkling in place of prosecco and skip the spirit. Taste and brighten with extra lemon if it leans sweet.
What’s the best bubbly to use?
Go drier (brut/extra brut prosecco or cava) if your apple base is sweet. If using ginger beer, balance with more citrus.
How do I batch this for a crowd?
Stir the apple + ginger + citrus in a pitcher and chill. Add ice and top with bubbles just before pouring so it stays fizzy.
Apple cider vs. apple juice—does it matter?
Cider is richer and cozier; juice is lighter and brighter. Start with cider in fall, then tweak sweetness and lemon to taste.
If you make this harvest apple ginger spritz please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Harvest Apple Spritz.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 inch fresh ginger,
- 6 fresh sage leaves, plus more for serving
- 8 ounces vodka
- 4 ounces orange liquor
- 1 1/2 cups high quality apple juice or apple cider
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 4-6 cans (12 ounces) sparkling water
- orange zest and apple slices, for serving
Instructions
- 1. In a small pot, bring 1/2 cup water, the honey, and ginger, to a boil over high heat. Boil 5 minutes, add the sage, then remove from the heat. Let cool. Remove the sage and ginger, if desired.2. In a large pitcher, combine the sage, ginger syrup mix, vodka, orange liquor, apple juice, and lemon juice. Chill until ready to serve. 3. Add the sparkling water just before serving. Garnish each drink with an apple slice and orange zest, if desired.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Could you give a recipe to make this an individual drink
Hi Melissa! It converts to very weird measurements, but I will leave it below! xTieghan
0.03 cup honey
0.13 inch fresh ginger,
0.75 fresh sage leaves, plus more for serving
1 ounces vodka
0.5 ounces orange liquor
0.19 cups high quality apple juice or apple cider
0.03 cup fresh lemon juice
0.5-0.75 cans (12 ounces) sparkling water
orange zest and apple slices, for serving
Made this for a Thanksgiving cocktail. Fun to put together. Everyone loved it! Thanks so much for your creativity!
Hi Beth! I am so glad you enjoyed this cocktail! Thank you so much!
This drink was a slam dunk!! Our whole family loved it and is a special request for Thanksgiving. I quadrupled the batch and made it in a pitcher – it was gone SO fast!
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you!
Hi! Have you ever replaced the sparkling water for ginger beer? Would that still work? Trying to really pack the *Punch* in this punch! Thanks!
LOVE ginger beer and yes I have swapped it many time. Delicious! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much and happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Should you use fresh sage or will dried work?
I recommend using fresh sage. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
This drink looks interesting…I will try to use it this year for my Thanksgiving dinner menu. By the way, I made your Snickers cake with the caramel apples on top a couple weeks ago….wow- it was great. Everything worked out well, except that the caramel wouldn’t stick to the apples I put on top of the cake. I did wash them before dipping but almost all of the caramel ran off the bottom. It was frustrating, but the cake looked and tasted great nevertheless. Everyone was impressed! BTW, you have beautiful photography on your website. Glad I found your recipes!
Hi Lisa! This is so sweet, I am so glad you are loving my blog and recipes! I hope this turns out amazing for you on Thanksgiving! Let me know how it goes! Thank you!
great cocktail with a creative use of ingredients, love the honey-ginger combo with the apple cider
Thank you so much Sabrina!
Delicious! I missed the bit about adding sage at the end of making the syrup and tossed it all together from the start, along with using about 1/3rd of a lemon )juiced and boiled in the same syrup), but it came out really delicious. (The syrup this way is also delicious as sweetener for tea!) It ended up a touch sweet for my household’s palates, I think next time I’ll decrease the honey and add a bit of fruit to poach in the syrup, maybe apples or pears. That should lend a sweet aspect to it with less overt sweetness. That, or using a dry fermented cider rather than fresh apple cider might work too.
Thank you so much Jami! I am so glad you loved this drink and it turned out well for you!
I can’t wait to make this cocktail! My family is coming to our new house for Thanksgiving and this recipe is perfect since I can make it ahead of time.
Yes! I hope they all love this when you make it Louise! Thank you!
This looks really good.
Do you have any suggestions on how to make this non-alcoholic? Would that even be possible?
Thanks!
HI! I recommend using an additional cup of apple cider and a 1/2 cup of orange juice in replace of the alcohol. That will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
thanks for to share
Thank you!
Oooh this sounds so yummy!! Question: How long will the sage ginger syrup keep if I make it in advance?
Hey Autumn! The syrup will keep for 1 week, possibly even longer! Just keep in the fridge. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
Ooh my Mom LOVES ginger, I must make this for her!!
Rebecca | http://www.peppermintdolly.com
I hope you do and I hope she loves it! Thank you so much Rebecca!
Wishing you the BEST Thanksgiving this year xx
Thank you Liz!
This looks perfect, and delicious for this time of year even here in the UK where we don’t have thanksgiving! May try a gin version this weekend as I have everything for this *except* vodka in the house!
I hope you love this Rachel! Let me know how it goes with gin!!