What fall drink may be served still or sparkling at Thanksgiving dinner?

Apple cider may be served still or sparkling at Thanksgiving dinner.

At the Thanksgiving table, the phrase “apple cider” often refers to unfermented cider, which can be poured flat, or still, and also sold in a carbonated, sparkling form. Its apple flavor and autumnal association make it a natural match for turkey, roasted vegetables, stuffing, and other seasonal dishes. Sparkling cider is also a common nonalcoholic celebratory drink.

This modern table beverage has a longer connection to American holiday drinking. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, hard cider and alcoholic punches were common in the United States. Later, Prohibition restricted legal alcoholic options, helping nonalcoholic beverages become more prominent at holiday meals.

Apple cider is not the only possible Thanksgiving drink. Wine, coffee, hot chocolate, lemonade, milk, and regional favorites such as sweet tea may also be served. Beaujolais nouveau has even been promoted as a Thanksgiving wine since its annual release was scheduled shortly before the holiday beginning in 1985. Still, among the listed choices, apple cider is the distinctive fall beverage traditionally described as still or sparkling.