Add this spiced and fruity Pear Thanksgiving Punch to your dinner menu this holiday season! It’s boozy, light and flavorful. It’s a tasty beverage that’s just different enough to be unique and special!
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About this Pear Thanksgiving Punch Recipe
If you’re looking for something Thanksgiving themed that’s different than those dozens of cranberry and apple cocktail recipes, you’re in the right place! This Pear Thanksgiving Punch is a fun drink full of fall flavors.
Pears are often overlooked as a Thanksgiving flavor in my opinion, so this is a nice change from the tart flavor of cranberries and apple cider that you so often see in holiday drink recipes.
Pear nectar gives this punch a sweet earthiness, and a mix of bourbon and spiced rum add a cozy touch to this cocktail recipe. It is, by far, one of the tastiest things you can add to your Thanksgiving dinner menu this year!
Thanksgiving sangria is another favorite, but sometimes I’m craving something just a bit more unique. That’s when I turn to this pear rum punch that has a slight tart flavor from lemon juice and lemon lime soda.
Grab your favorite punch bowl or an extra large pitcher and we’ll make this punch together! It’ll be the talk of Thanksgiving dinner this year — that I can promise you.
More fall drink recipes: Thanksgiving Sangria • Spiced Apple Punch •
Why you’ll love this recipe
The taste of this pear Thanksgiving punch is second to none! You’re going to love it:
- This is a great way to serve a crowd! Perfect for parties and large gatherings and extra tasty served with Thanksgiving dinner.
- Easily make a few adjustments to this recipe and make it non-alcoholic. Then, everyone can drink it!
- The flavor of pear punch is more light and fruity instead of heavy and spiced. It’s a nice change of pace and is actually quite refreshing.
Tools & glassware
To make this punch, you’ll need a large punch bowl or pitcher. A drink dispenser would work nicely too!
Make sure you’ve got some measuring cups as well as a large mixing spoon to stir everything together. Aside from that, you’ll need glasses and a ladle to serve the punch.
favorite punch bowls
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Ready to make this delicious pear Thanksgiving punch? Here’s what you need:
- pear nectar
- bourbon whiskey
- spiced rum
- lemon juice
- lemon-lime soda or ginger ale
- honey syrup (made with honey and water)
- sliced bosc pear
- fresh cranberries
- star anise
- cinnamon sticks
Substitutions & variations
Bubbly element: In place of lemon-lime soda or ginger ale, you can use ginger beer or even flavored sparkling water. Or use a bottle of champagne!
Citrus swaps: Fresh squeeze orange juice would be a tasty swap in place of lemon juice.
Best pears: I used Bosc pears for the garnish because they have an earthier flavor but you could also use Bartlett pears or Asian pears.
Non-alcoholic punch: Make this a non-alcoholic Thanksgiving punch by substituting Ritual rum alternative and Ritual whiskey alternative for the alcohol. Ritual zero proof alcohol is great 1:1 substitute for mocktails.
Best spiced rum and whiskey
Homemade spiced rum is a great option for pear Thanksgiving punch, and is what I used. Captain Morgan or Bacardi both make great ones if you prefer to buy it. If you need help choosing, check out my rum 101 guide for all the tips and tricks you might need.
Don’t have spiced rum? You can swap in white or gold rum and use some cinnamon vanilla syrup or chai syrup instead of honey to bring in those warming spices that make this a delicious fall drink. You can also use a combination of regular rum and cinnamon whiskey for a similar flavor.
This punch uses bourbon whiskey for that sweet, vanilla and caramel-like flavor. Our household go-to is Old Forester, but Woodford Reserve, Four Roses and Bulleit are other favorites. For the best brands to look for, check out bourbon 101.
Instructions
Make this easy punch by following this easy step by step guide:
Start by cleaning out a punch bowl or pitcher. Add the spiced rum and bourbon whiskey to a large punch bowl or large pitcher.
Pour in the pear nectar and lemon juice. Taste and add honey syrup if desired.
Now, if you’re serving this right away, keep going with the recipe! If you are going to be serving it later, stop here and put this base mixture in the fridge until right before you serve the punch.
Next, add the lemon-lime soda and stir it all together well. It’s almost ready to serve!
Finally, finish it off by adding sliced pears, fresh cranberries, star anise pods and cinnamon sticks as a garnish.
Use a ladle to portion out this punch into glasses and enjoy! To keep it cold, freeze some pear nectar into ice cubes and add them to the punch bowl periodically.
Tips & tricks
Follow these few tips and tricks to make your punch the best it can be:
- Keep this punch cold by freezing some pear nectar into ice cubes and add them to the punch bowl periodically. It’s also best to use chilled ingredients to keep this drink cold if you’re serving it right away.
- Don’t add the soda until just before serving. This keeps the bubbles nice and crisp and makes the beverage have the best flavor.
- Feel free to double or triple this recipe, you’ll just need a large enough punch bowl. But making extra is a great way to serve an extra large crowd.
Use the +/- buttons at the top of the recipe card below to scale the recipe as you need to.
Food pairings
Serving this at cocktail hour? Pair it with appetizers like sausage balls, cranberry brie bites or caramelized pear brie. It’s great with a Christmas charcuterie board too!
It’s great for a drink with dinners like apple cider pulled pork tacos. Of course, it’s great on the drink table for Thanksgiving too. So delicious alongside your favorites like roast turkey and sweet potato casserole!
FAQ
It is recommended that you don’t store leftover punch that has soda in it, as it will go flat. However, you can store this punch without soda! Then just add the soda to each glass after pouring the alcohol and fruit juice mixture to each glass with ice.
You should have one gallon of punch for every 10 guests. Make sure you plan accordingly with this recipe if you need more than what this recipe makes and are serving a lot of guests at a party.
More Thanksgiving Recipes
- Pear Moscow Mule
- Thanksgiving Spa Water
- Apple Cider Rum Punch
- Apple Cider Sangria
- Poison Apple Halloween Punch (it’s bubbly and sweet, just skip the spooky)
— Did you make this recipe? —
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Pear Thanksgiving Punch
ingredients
- 3 cups pear nectar
- 2 cups bourbon whiskey
- 1 cup spiced rum
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 4½ cups lemon-lime soda or ginger ale
- ¼ cup honey syrup optional
- 1 bosc pear sliced
- ½ cup fresh cranberries for garnish
- 3-4 star anise for garnish
- 3-4 cinnamon sticks for garnish
instructions
- Add the pear nectar, spiced rum, bourbon whiskey, lemon juice, lemon-lime soda, and honey syrup to a large punch bowl or large pitcher.
- Stir well and then add sliced pears, fresh cranberries, star anise pods and cinnamon sticks as a garnish.
- Use a ladle to portion out this punch into glasses and enjoy!
notes
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