Thanksgiving Eve party drinks: what to buy and how much

For Thanksgiving Eve party drinks, set out a mix of ready-to-drink cocktails and seltzers, a few New England IPAs and lagers, cider, one batch cocktail made from mixers, and non-alcoholic choices. The Wild Duck in Boston carries all of these, and this guide shows how much to buy for your crowd. Thanksgiving Eve is Wednesday 25 November 2026, the night before Thanksgiving on 26 November.

What drinks should you serve at a Thanksgiving Eve party?

Serve a short, varied list: one easy ready-to-drink option, one or two beers, a cider, a batch cocktail and at least two non-alcoholic choices. Thanksgiving Eve is a relaxed night, often with friends who have travelled in, so guests tend to want something they can pick up and drink without a host mixing it.

At The Wild Duck in Boston we stock more than 4,500 products from more than 700 brands, so you can build this list in one visit. The categories that matter most for a night-before party are ready-to-drink, beer, cider, mixers and snacks.

Keep the wine for the Thanksgiving dinner itself. If you are choosing bottles for the table, our guide to Thanksgiving wine and cider covers that separately. The night before works better with drinks that need no corkscrew, no decanting and very little washing up.

How much should you buy for the size of your crowd?

For a party of ten adults lasting about three hours, plan on roughly two to three drinks per guest who is drinking, which is twenty to thirty drinks in total. Not every guest drinks alcohol, so count those guests separately and give them their own supply of non-alcoholic drinks.

A simple way to split the total is half beer, seltzer and ready-to-drink cans, a quarter cider, and a quarter batch cocktail. For ten guests that is about ten to fifteen cans of beer or seltzer, five to eight bottles or cans of cider, and one batch of cocktail that makes six to eight servings.

For fifteen guests, scale up by half. For twenty-five, plan on about two and a half times the ten-guest amounts, and make two batches of cocktail rather than one very large one, so each stays fresh and cold.

Some general measures help when you are counting. A 750 ml bottle of wine pours about five glasses. A 750 ml bottle of spirits makes about sixteen standard measures. A standard drink is a 12-ounce beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine or a 1.5-ounce measure of spirits. Everyone at the party should be 21 or older to drink alcohol, and the plan above is a guide to avoid running short, not a target for guests to reach.

Which ready-to-drink cocktails and seltzers work best for a house party?

Canned cocktails and seltzers are the easiest choice for a house party because they come measured, chilled and ready to open. Guests choose their own flavour and pace, and you do not need glassware, ice or a bar setup.

We carry a full ready-to-drink section and a separate range of seltzers. Brands on our shelves include High Noon, Smirnoff and On The Rocks, which gives you vodka-based, spirit-and-soda and bottled cocktail styles to choose from.

A good mix for a crowd is two or three flavours rather than one. Lighter fruit seltzers suit guests who want something easy, while spirit-based canned cocktails suit guests who would normally order a mixed drink. Put them in a cooler or a tub of ice so they stay cold without taking up fridge space you need for the next day.

Which beers and ciders suit a Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving Eve gathering?

Offer one hazy New England-style IPA, one lager and one cider, which covers most tastes. A New England IPA is a style known for a soft, juicy, low-bitterness character, so it appeals to guests who find traditional IPAs sharp. You can browse our New England IPA and wider IPA shelves.

For guests who prefer something lighter, a lager or other easy drinking beer is the safe choice. It is crisp, goes with salty snacks and does not compete with the food. We carry makers such as Sam Adams, Jacks Abby and Zero Gravity, among many other brands.

Cider fits the season. It is made from fermented apples, it is served cold, and it works for guests who do not want beer. Our cider shelf is a good place to look if you want one bottle style that bridges beer and wine drinkers.

How do you make an easy batch cocktail for a Thanksgiving Eve party?

The easiest batch cocktail is bourbon, cider and ginger beer, built in a pitcher or drink dispenser before guests arrive. Use one part bourbon to three parts apple cider, add a squeeze of lemon, then top each glass with ginger beer when you serve it so it stays fizzy.

For ten servings, that is roughly one cup of bourbon, three cups of cider and the juice of one or two lemons, with a bottle of ginger beer alongside. Chill everything first and add ice to the glass rather than the pitcher, which stops the batch from becoming watered down.

You can buy the base from our bourbon shelf and the fizz from our mixers, where Fever Tree is one of the makers we carry. If you prefer a vodka-based drink, our guide to the Moscow mule shows the same batch method. A bottle of CHARTREUSE Yellow Liqueur is a herbal, honeyed liqueur that can be added in small, measured amounts for a different flavour. If you would rather skip mixing, the Rokz Bloody Mary Lover Set is a ready-made kit for a brunch-style table.

What snacks should you put out for a Thanksgiving Eve party?

Put out salty, shareable snacks that guests can eat standing up, so you are not cooking on the night before a large dinner. Chips, nuts, crackers and a dip cover most needs, and they pair well with beer, cider and seltzer.

Our snacks section is the place to start. The Chica De Gallot Pepper Salsa is a ready-to-serve dip that needs only a bowl and chips.

Plan on a small plate of snacks per guest and refill the bowls as needed. Eating alongside drinks is also sensible for anyone who is drinking, and keeping food on the table all evening is part of being a good host. Save the larger dishes for Thanksgiving Day, so the night before stays light.

What non-alcoholic drinks should you have for guests?

Have at least two non-alcoholic choices that feel like part of the party, not an afterthought. Some of your guests will be driving, some will not drink, and some will be under 21, so the non-alcoholic table should be as good as the rest.

Our non-alcoholic section has options to browse, and our mixers shelf gives you sparkling water, tonic and ginger beer. Pour a mixer over ice with a slice of citrus or a sprig of rosemary and it looks like a cocktail without the alcohol.

You can also make an alcohol-free version of the batch cocktail above by combining cider and ginger beer with lemon. Label the pitcher clearly, so nobody picks up the wrong one by mistake.

How do you plan a safe ride home after a Thanksgiving Eve party?

Arrange rides before the party starts, not after the first drink. Thanksgiving Eve is one of the busiest travel and social nights of the year, so a taxi or ride-share can take longer to arrive than usual.

If you are hosting, tell guests ahead of time that they are welcome to leave a car and collect it the next morning, or to stay over if you have the room. Name a sober driver if guests are travelling together, and keep the non-alcoholic drinks visible so that choice is easy.

Stop serving alcohol well before the end of the evening, serve water throughout, and never let anyone who has been drinking drive. A plan made in advance is easier to follow than one made at the end of the night.

How do you get everything for the party from The Wild Duck?

You can get everything for the party from The Wild Duck at 86 Massachusetts Ave in Boston, by walking in, by pickup or by delivery. We are open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM and Sunday from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM.

For pickup, order ahead and collect from in-store pickup. Pickup hours are Monday to Saturday from 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM. We also deliver in Boston, Cambridge and Brookline, with delivery hours Monday to Saturday from 9:30 AM to 10:30 PM and Sunday from 10:30 AM to 10:30 PM. See our delivery areas to check your address.

We are rated above 4.5 out of 5 from more than 60 Google reviews, and our team can help you size an order to your guest list. If you are bringing a gift for the host, a Thank You Card or a gift card goes well with a bottle.