A choose-your-own adventure holiday cocktail, with or without booze

We’re full tilt into the holiday season, and with Thanksgiving, the first of the annual Great Gluttonous Holidays, in the rearview mirror, heads are still spinning from putting together a holiday meal that doesn’t leave someone offended, unhappy or breaking out in hives.

Now we get to do it again in the race toward Christmas and the new year, over a series of cocktail parties and potlucks and dinners. Let the contentious text threads roll! Who is bringing the pie? What kind? Pecan? But cousin Amy is allergic to nuts! Oh, and Tom is vegan. I don’t know if Beyond Meat makes giblets. Didn’t Aunt Lila give up gluten? Or did gluten give up Aunt Lila? Could we possibly give up Aunt Lila, too? I mean, she brought up the RFK Jr./Nuzzi correspondence over Thanksgiving dinner, and now the kids are afraid of canyons.

It’s enough to drive one to drink – but wait! That’s a whole new source of stress! Not everyone at the table drinks alcohol. There may be guests in recovery, guests who are pregnant, people taking a break from alcohol, designated drivers and kids – and while they all may want to drink after Aunt Lila’s unfortunate Thanksgiving faux pas – we cannot endorse that. What’s more, as good hosts, we want everyone to feel welcome and festive.

As your friendly neighborhood cocktail columnist, I cannot instill common sense into Aunt Lila or pick the nuts out of your pie or keep your cousins from asking you where vegans get their protein (though “I eat the bark off trees” usually stops that conversation). But I can offer a strategy for holiday cocktails where everyone can enjoy a shared festive drink tailored to their alcohol preferences, whether those perspectives are “Jamie brought his emotional-support ferret and I need to be totally sober when I meet him,” to “Jamie’s emotional-support ferret has dug into the cornucopia centerpiece – I need a stiff drink immediately.” Yes, it will work even for those sad holiday tables where an emotional-support ferret is not a feature.

Basically, this drink is a leveling-up strategy: You create a delicious nonalcoholic base, and you make enough of it to quench the thirst of however many guests are showing up. (The Harvest Moon recipe, for example, makes enough of the base for eight drinks, which I would consider a reasonable amount for a party of four – but you’ll want to double it for more guests or a tippling crowd.) The base should be delicious on its own, and you then offer specific alcoholic additions – a wine or liqueur at the second stage, a higher-proof spirit at the third – that blend in seamlessly with that base and with each other, letting your guests decide their preferred degree of booziness but end up with a great drink at every stage. And you put out enough festive garnish options for everyone to bedazzle their cups to the nines.

This way, the nondrinkers don’t get stiffed on the party vibes, and you, the host, aren’t shamefacedly pawing through the cupboards for an ancient Diet Dr Pepper to pour into an “Elf” mug while your bibulous guests toss joyously back tankards of fancy, boozy punch.

You can even make this a little party DIY project, if your crowd is the type. If you create a table with the tools for building these concoctions – glassware, ice, jiggers for measuring, spoons for stirring, an assortment of garnishes laid out charcuterie-style, clearly labeled bottles and guidance via posted recipes – it can become a fun activity and a spot for people to chat as they make their drinks. And they can do so without having to announce their choices to everyone else. It’s both a coping mechanism and an inclusivity strategy – and if you build a good drink base, it’s delicious.

The Harvest Moon here opens with a combination of autumn fruits, but there are plenty of other routes you could experiment with. Think about flavor combinations where each new version builds on the flavors of the last – it’s just a matter of nailing your preferred proportions, and adding the right herbs and spices to enhance the aromatics and make the drinks more festive. For instance, try:

Cranberry juice with orange juice or bitter lemon soda (Stage 1). Add curaçao, orange bitters, prosecco, dry or blanc vermouth (Stage 2), then a dollop of gin (Stage 3). It’ll echo the cranberries on the table, and the guests can decide on whether they want the sauce.

Pear nectar, lemon juice, and cinnamon or ginger syrup (Stage 1). Add pear or ginger liqueur and Angostura bitters (Stage 2), then a brandy or rum (Stage 3). A spicy ginger ale could come into play at any of the tiers.

Pumpkin or fig syrup with an aromatic black tea (Stage 1), with a vanilla-forward sweet vermouth, such as Carpano Antica, or a nutty sherry (Stage 2), and a final boost from bourbon or rum (Stage 3).

A creamy hot cocoa (Stage 1), with a nut or fruit liqueur for the next level (Stage 2), and a blackstrap rum for a truly decadent Stage 3.

You get the gist: You’re adding not just alcohol but new flavors at each stage, so each new ingredient needs to harmonize with what’s already there – or at least not drown it out. (Save the shouting for the holiday dinner table.) Along with liqueurs, sparkling, fortified and aromatized wines are delicious tools for that second stage, providing depth and complexity without adding a lot of alcohol.

For the Harvest Moon, I wanted to start with a base even kids would enjoy – so the pumpkin and apple base is sweet, but bright and balanced with fresh lemon juice. I personally would choose to include the Angostura bitters at this stage – they add a fragrant baking-spice complexity, but do note: Like most cocktail bitters, Angostura is alcoholic. It’s used in very small dashes, but obviously shouldn’t be used for anyone seeking to avoid alcohol completely. But if your drinker is flexible on this and aiming for functional rather than complete sobriety, stir them into the base.

The second stage of the Harvest Moon introduces a medium sherry, which brings a nice, nutty depth without adding sweetness, and Averna, a caramelly, autumnal amaro that layers in complexity and a mild bitter edge to the drink. Stage three brings in a good dollop of rich Jamaica rum.

The holiday flavors of the base are all still there, now enhanced by a little rum funk and bittersweet punch. Whichever stage you stop at, festoon the drink with herbs, cinnamon sticks, cranberries, star anise pods, citrus wheels, a grating of nutmeg. And if you have any leftovers, you can leave them out for the big guy – North Pole politics are heated this year, and if there’s an Aunt Lila-type among the elves, he may want more than milk with his cookies.

Harvest Moon Cocktail or Mocktail

This choose-your-own-adventure drink is built for holiday parties, letting guests customize how much alcohol, if any, they consume. The nonalcoholic base is a sweet-tart mix of apple cider, lemon juice and a spiced pumpkin syrup. If you want a low-ABV sipper, add a nutty sherry and a caramelly amaro, or make it boozier by adding rich rum as well. Whatever you decide on, you’ll end up with a drink that’s bright and seasonal.

For the base

2 cups apple cider

1 cup Reàl Pumpkin Puree Infused Syrup (see where to buy)

1 cup fresh lemon juice (from four to five lemons)

For the nonalcoholic version

Ice

4 ounces base

For the low-ABV version

Ice

4 ounces base

1½ ounces Oloroso or other medium sherry

1 ounce Averna amaro

3 dashes Angostura bitters

For the boozy version

Ice

4 ounces base

1½ ounces Oloroso or other medium sherry

1 ounce Averna amaro

1½ ounces aged Jamaica rum, such as Appleton Estate or Smith & Cross

3 dashes Angostura bitters

For the optional garnish

Sage leaves, rosemary sprigs, cinnamon sticks, whole star anise, grating of nutmeg, fresh cranberries or lemon wheels

Make the base: In a pitcher, combine the apple cider, pumpkin syrup and lemon juice. Stir well and if not serving right away, refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the nonalcoholic drink: Fill a rocks glass with ice cubes and pour the base over it (see Notes). Stir to chill and combine, then go to Step 5.

Make the low-ABV version: Fill a rocks glass with ice. Add the base, sherry, Averna and bitters. Stir to chill and combine, then go to Step 5.

Make the boozy version: Fill a highball glass with ice. Add the base, sherry, Averna, rum and bitters. Stir to chill and combine, then go to Step 5.

Add the optional garnishes: If using the sage or rosemary, lightly slap or rub the leaves to release their aroma before adding to the drink. Add other garnishes, such as cinnamon sticks, whole star anise, grated nutmeg, cranberries or lemon wheels, and serve.

Yield: Eight servings (makes about 4 cups base)

Storage: Refrigerate the base for up to two days.

Where to buy: Pumpkin syrup, such as Reàl Pumpkin Puree Infused Syrup, can be found at well-stocked supermarkets, specialty shops, liquor stores and online.

Substitutions: Want a slightly drier cocktail? Swap out Oloroso sherry with fino sherry. Averna amaro can be changed out for Ramazzotti, Meletti or Nonino amaros.

Note: You can choose to add the Angostura bitters to the nonalcoholic version of the drink, or seek out nonalcoholic aromatic bitters.