5 Costco Alcohols To Stock Up On Before Thanksgiving 2026

If smart shoppers know anything about Costco liquor, it's that the chain starts selling many more options during the holidays. The catch is that pretty much everyone and their mother will also be out buying booze at that time, so supply can sometimes vary depending on how much traffic your location gets. If you're not in the mood to hunt for liquor your Costco might not have readily available, it's probably better to stock up on your drinks before Thanksgiving even hits this year. There are, after all, a lot of fantastic alcohol selections at Costco year-round, and bonus seasonal products start hitting shelves as early as October.

Exactly which Costco alcohol you should stock up on does depend somewhat on what Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving recipes you decide to make, but a few standbys go well with most. The safest, reliable bets include red and white wine, bourbon, beer, and brandy, and Costco usually has some excellent choices for each.

It's hard to imagine Thanksgiving without at least one glass of wine, and it's not just because celebrations are a good time for imbibing. Wine's complex flavor profile works for Turkey Day, making it a natural pairing for pretty much the whole meal. The trick lies in choosing the right wine for the occasion.

In this case, you're going to be glad you have a bottle or two of Kirkland Signature Châteauneuf-du-Pape stocked for the holidays. It's one of the best wines from Costco, period. Its blend of grenache, cinsault, mourvedre, and syrah is also particularly suited for traditional Thanksgiving dishes. The berries in its flavor profile help uplift the sweeter notes of your meal, while a touch of spice and herbiness balances everything out. The blend's acidity also helps cut the richness of some dishes, clearing your palate to enjoy even more food. Prices vary depending on location, but expect to spend around $20 for a 750 ml bottle.

If you can't find it at your nearest Costco, Kirkland Signature Côtes du Rhône Villages makes for an excellent backup plan. It may not be as robust as a Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but it has the same berry flavors, spice, and acidity that pair well with most of the food on the Thanksgiving table. At under $9 a bottle, it's also one of the cheapest sommelier-recommended wines available at Costco.

Not a red wine person? When it comes to white wines, it's hard to go wrong with a Riesling at Thanksgiving, thanks in large part to its versatility. It's one of those wines that pair with ham just as well as with turkey, which makes it something you'll want to keep at home throughout the entire holiday season.

While Riesling options are sometimes a little limited at Costco, Dr. Loosen Blue Slate Riesling Kabinett is a great choice. The wine comes from the Mosel Valley in western Germany, where the grape thrives. Expect peach and floral notes to delicately complement the robust flavors of Thanksgiving, with a zesty acidity that brightens the palate throughout your meal. Depending upon your location, you can get Dr. Loosen Riesling at Costco, starting around $17.70 per 750 ml bottle.

A good bourbon is certainly something to be thankful for, especially for folks who enjoy a slightly punchier sip than wine with their meals. If that sounds like you, stock up on Bulleit Bourbon, one of the smoothest bourbons you can find at Costco. Its approachability makes it easy to drink, but also brings a healthy amount of spice to the palate, making your dinner feel much warmer alongside the company of your friends and family. Get a hefty 1.75-liter bottle to share with everyone for between $45-$60, depending on your location.

While you can definitely enjoy Bulleit neat, that spiciness almost makes it an ideal candidate for Thanksgiving cocktails. Get cozy with the flavors of the season by making it the bourbon base for this apple cider old fashioned recipe. The warmth of Bulleit's spice plays particularly well with tangier ciders, while its sweetness gets more layered with the nuttiness of almond and walnut bitters. For maximum coziness, serve the cocktail warm.

For those who prefer an ice-cold brew at Thanksgiving, many types of beer will work just great. You can go with the fruit-and-pepper notes of a good saison to complement the fall flavors, or lean into the toasty sweetness of a brown ale to add depth. One style that works surprisingly well for the season is also one of the most popular among American craft beer drinkers: India Pale Ale (IPA).

American IPAs are known for their crispness and citrusy flavor profiles, both of which cleanse the palate at meals where the food is a little richer than usual. Costco happens to carry Sierra Nevada Celebration Fresh Hop IPA, a seasonal brew made only from October to December each year. The beer uses hops picked during the single harvest of the year, and then rushed immediately back to the brewery for maximum freshness. What this gets you is an IPA with peak hops flavor, something every hophead should be thankful for. A case of 24 cans goes for around $35 online at Costco.

If the idea of "peak hoppiness" sounds intimidating to you, opt for Lagunitas IPA instead. It still has the signature bitterness of the style, but with enough balanced fruitiness and light mouthfeel to stay approachable, making it one of the best IPAs for beginners. A case of 24 cans costs around $32 at Costco.

If you're willing to splurge a little, high-quality brandy is a sure way to make your Thanksgiving celebrations feel even more festive. Hennessy Very Special (VS) Cognac is the top-selling brandy in the U.S. for good reason — it's spent over 250 years developing and producing some of the world's most popular brandy in the highly regulated Cognac region in France. You can taste that experience and history in the brand's VS cognac, which just so happens to have a flavor profile perfect for autumn. You'll taste notes of apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove in a sip, rounded out by a gentle warmth from the alcohol. It's indulgent and cozy — pretty much everything you want in a Thanksgiving drink. A 1.75-liter bottle will set you back around $87-$97 at Costco, depending on your location.

For many of us, Thanksgiving is also the start of eggnog season. If your family likes to close out the year with a lot of nog, add a splash of Hennessy VS Cognac for a wonderfully boozy version of the drink. Try it in this homemade eggnog recipe (or your family's own), and enjoy sipping away throughout the rest of the holidays.