The easiest Thanksgiving mocktails are two ounces of a fall juice, such as cranberry, apple cider or pear, topped with six ounces of plain sparkling water over ice, with a garnish that tastes like the season. That keeps each glass at roughly 6 to 9 grams of sugar from the juice. A 12-ounce lemon-lime soda carries about 32 grams, by USDA figures, most of the 50-gram Daily Value FDA sets for added sugars.
Below are the seven we would put on our own table: five single glasses, one non-alcoholic drink for the toast, and a punch that serves twelve. We also give a timeline so the drinks are done before the turkey comes out.
What’s a good non-alcoholic drink for Thanksgiving?
A cranberry or apple cider spritz made with plain sparkling water is the best non-alcoholic drink for Thanksgiving, in our view. It matches the food, it looks festive in a wine glass, and it does not fill anyone up before the meal the way a sweet soda or a creamy drink does.
Plain sparkling water is the right base because it brings bubbles and nothing else. The juice and the garnish do the flavor work. If you are unsure what to buy, our guide to seltzer vs club soda vs sparkling water explains the differences, and any of the three works here.
Why use sparkling water instead of ginger ale or soda?
Because the soda adds most of the sugar. USDA FoodData Central lists ginger ale at 8.9 grams of sugar per 100 grams. A 6-ounce pour, roughly 180 grams, adds about 16 grams before any juice goes in. The same pour of plain sparkling water adds none.
That is the whole trick behind these recipes: keep the juice small and let unsweetened bubbles fill the glass. If a guest wants it sweeter, they can add a splash more juice to their own glass.
What are the best Thanksgiving mocktails with sparkling water?
Each recipe makes one drink in a 12- to 16-ounce glass. Fill the glass with ice, add the juice, then top with cold sparkling water so the bubbles last. The sugar figure counts the juice only, using USDA FoodData Central values and about 60 grams for a 2-ounce pour.
1. Cranberry rosemary spritz
2 oz unsweetened cranberry juice, 6 oz sparkling water, a squeeze of lime, a rosemary sprig and a few fresh cranberries. About 7.3 g of sugar. Unsweetened cranberry is sharp; if your guests find it too tart, swap half of it for apple cider. This is the one we would pour with the turkey, because the tartness cuts through rich gravy.
2. Cider and orange fizz
2 oz apple cider, 6 oz sparkling water, a strip of orange peel twisted over the glass, and a thin slice of fresh ginger. About 5.8 g of sugar, the lightest juice on this list. It tastes like a spiced cider without the simmering.
3. Pear ginger sparkler
1.5 oz pear nectar, 6 oz sparkling water, two thin slices of fresh ginger pressed with a spoon in the bottom of the glass, and a squeeze of lemon. About 6.8 g of sugar. Pear nectar is the sweetest juice per ounce here, at 15.2 g per 100 g, so we use a smaller pour.
4. Pomegranate orange sparkler
2 oz 100% pomegranate juice, 6 oz sparkling water, an orange wheel and a few pomegranate seeds. About 7.6 g of sugar. The deep red color looks good next to cranberry sauce.
5. Cranberry lime seltzer (the lightest)
1 oz unsweetened cranberry juice, 7 oz sparkling water and a lime wedge. About 3.6 g of sugar. This is the glass we keep refilling through the afternoon.
6. The Thanksgiving toast
2 oz 100% grape juice and 4 oz sparkling water in a champagne flute, so everyone at the table has something to raise. About 8.5 g of sugar. Pour it right before the toast so it is still fizzy when glasses go up.
7. Cranberry apple punch for 12
3 cups apple cider, 1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice, and 1.5 liters of sparkling water added when guests arrive. Float orange wheels and fresh cranberries on top. It makes 12 glasses of about 7 ounces, with roughly 8 g of sugar each.
How do you make a Thanksgiving mocktail punch for a crowd?
Mix the juices ahead, keep them cold, and add the sparkling water only at the last minute. Sparkling water goes flat in an open bowl, so for a long afternoon we add it in two rounds: half the bottles when guests arrive and half when the bowl drops by half.
For the quantity, plan two drinks per guest. Each glass in our recipes uses 6 oz of sparkling water, so 12 guests drinking two each need 144 oz. A liter is about 33.8 oz, so buy five 1-liter bottles. That covers the punch and a few spare glasses.
An ice ring keeps the punch cold without watering it down as fast as cubes. Freeze cranberries and orange slices in water in a ring mold the night before. Plain cubes melt quickly and dilute the juice.
What we would buy for this job
- NiHome 2.5 gallon glass punch bowl with ladle: holds the 12-glass punch with room left for the ice ring. Borosilicate glass, hand wash only, by the listing.
- Alimat 9.8 inch silicone ring mold: freezes the cranberry and orange ice ring the night before. Check it fits inside your bowl before you fill it.
- SodaStream TERRA sparkling water maker, 3 CO2 cylinder bundle: if you host often. SodaStream says each 60 liter cylinder makes up to 16 gallons, so you are not carrying five bottles home.
As an Amazon Associate, Complete Water Guide earns from qualifying purchases. Prices change, so check the listing.
What are good Thanksgiving mocktails for kids?
The cider and orange fizz, the cranberry apple punch and the Thanksgiving toast. All three use juices kids already like, with no ginger or tart edge. Kids enjoy pouring their own toast into a plastic flute, which is half the fun.
Keep the sparkling water plain and unsweetened for kids. If you are weighing bubbles against water for children, our page on whether sparkling water is good for you covers what the research shows on teeth and digestion.
How do you make Thanksgiving mocktails ahead of time?
Do everything except the bubbles the day before. Here is the order we use:
- The night before: freeze the ice ring, chill the juices and every bottle of sparkling water in the fridge.
- Thanksgiving morning: mix the punch juices in a covered pitcher, cut lime and orange wheels, and pick rosemary sprigs.
- An hour before guests: set out glasses, garnishes and a bucket of ice.
- When guests arrive: pour the juice into the bowl, add the ice ring, then the first half of the sparkling water.
- At the table: pour the toast fresh into flutes.
Cold sparkling water holds its bubbles longer than warm, so the fridge step matters more than it sounds.
How much sugar is in each Thanksgiving mocktail?
Between about 3.6 and 8.5 grams per glass with our recipes, all from the juice. Here is how the juices compare per 100 grams in USDA FoodData Central, so you can pick a lighter base:
| Mixer (USDA FDC ID) | Sugar per 100 g | Sugar in a 2 oz pour (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Plain sparkling water | 0 g | 0 g |
| Apple cider (2709319) | 9.62 g | 5.8 g |
| Cranberry juice cocktail (173214) | 11.4 g | 6.8 g |
| Cranberry juice, unsweetened (168117) | 12.1 g | 7.3 g |
| Pomegranate juice, 100% (2709330) | 12.65 g | 7.6 g |
| Grape juice, 100% (2709325) | 14.24 g | 8.5 g |
| Pear nectar (169940) | 15.2 g | 9.1 g |
| Ginger ale, for comparison (174846) | 8.9 g | about 16 g in a 6 oz pour |
One surprise: USDA lists unsweetened cranberry juice with slightly more total sugar per 100 grams than cranberry juice cocktail. The difference is where the sugar comes from. Cranberry juice cocktail is a sweetened drink, so check its label’s Added Sugars line, which FDA counts against a 50-gram Daily Value. Two ounces is close to 60 grams, so the pour column is an estimate.
Which sparkling water is best for Thanksgiving mocktails?
A plain, unflavored one. Flavored cans clash with cranberry and cider, and plain ones let the juice decide the taste. We also prefer brands that tested low for PFAS; our page on sparkling water without PFAS lists the test results, and our ranking of the best plain sparkling water covers taste and price.
For more ideas with the same low-sugar approach, see our Halloween mocktails and infused water recipes.
Frequently asked questions
What’s a good non-alcoholic drink for Thanksgiving?
A cranberry or apple cider spritz: 2 oz of juice topped with 6 oz of plain sparkling water over ice, with rosemary, lime or orange peel. It suits the meal and has about 6 to 7 grams of sugar per glass.
How do you make a Thanksgiving mocktail punch?
Mix 3 cups of apple cider with 1 cup of unsweetened cranberry juice, chill it, and add 1.5 liters of sparkling water when guests arrive. It makes about 12 glasses of 7 ounces.
How much sparkling water do I need for Thanksgiving?
Plan two drinks per guest at 6 ounces of sparkling water each. For 12 guests that is 144 ounces, or five 1-liter bottles, since a liter is about 33.8 ounces.
Can you make Thanksgiving mocktails ahead of time?
Yes, except for the bubbles. Mix the juices and prepare garnishes in the morning, and add cold sparkling water only when serving, because it goes flat in an open bowl.
What are easy Thanksgiving mocktails for kids?
Apple cider with sparkling water and an orange peel, the cranberry apple punch, or grape juice and sparkling water served in a plastic flute for the toast.
Is ginger ale or sparkling water better for mocktails?
Plain sparkling water, if you want less sugar. USDA lists ginger ale at 8.9 grams of sugar per 100 grams, so a 6-ounce pour adds about 16 grams, while plain sparkling water adds none.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central: apple cider (FDC 2709319), cranberry juice unsweetened (168117), cranberry juice cocktail (173214), pomegranate juice 100% (2709330), grape juice 100% (2709325), pear nectar (169940), ginger ale (174846), Sprite lemon-lime (173206).
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Added Sugars on the Nutrition Facts Label: Daily Value for added sugars is 50 grams per day on a 2,000 calorie diet.
