Three Bottled Cocktails to Make and Take to Your Next Tailgate
By Claire Lower
Photo: tailgating still life:Sean Locke/Stocksy; cocktail:145/Anthony Bradshaw
“Tailgating cocktails?” my husband asked, incredulous. “You don’t need cocktails at a tailgate. That’s what beer is for.” He may be right, but “necessity” has never been the theme of any tailgate I’ve ever attended. Does one need to roast an entire pig in front of the science library? No, but it’s still a great idea. Similarly, you may not need cocktails at your pre-game festivities, but is there ever a bad time for a tipple?
I don’t suggest hauling your entire bar cart to the stadium parking lot, nor should you handcraft each drink to order; that would be unwieldy and incredibly time-consuming. But I do suggest bringing a well-chilled bottle of a large-batch cocktail for unfussy, boozy fun. One of the below libations will do quite nicely.
Related: 30 FTW Recipes for Tailgating on Game Day
Photo: Marti Sans/Stocksy
For The Morning Tailgate
I’m not a morning person, so the morning tailgate can be a bit tough for me. Not only is getting up before 8 a.m. on a weekend viscerally unpleasant, I’m just not that big a fan of drinking beer before coffee. A bloody mary, though? Now that I can handle.
If you don’t feel like rising extra early to assemble a garnish tray, don’t worry. You don’t need to. Thanks to the freshest of juice — made by you — this bloody is so delicious and refreshing that it barely needs any extras. (Bring a jar of olives and maybe some pickles if you must, but a slew of extreme garnishes will only distract from the beautiful simplicity of this drink.)
The Freshest Bloody Mary
Serves 8
2 ½ pounds fresh tomatoes, chopped into quarters or smaller
½ pound cucumber, peeled and chopped
2 cups gin or vodka (Hendrick’s has a nice cucumber flavor that absolutely sings in a bloody)
1 ¼ cup Clausen pickle juice (decrease to 1 cup if you’re not a pickle juice super fan)
4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 teaspoon horseradish
Juice of 2 lemons
To make the juice, puree tomatoes and cucumbers in a blender until smooth and strain through a fine mesh sieve. Pour juice into a large glass bottle and add remaining ingredients. Cover well, shake to combine, and chill until ready to serve. (Extra credit: Make this the night before and sleep in that much later. There will be some overnight separation; just shake it up again before serving.)
Related: Step Up Your Tailgating Game with These Recipes
Photo: Marti Sans/Stocksy
For The All-Day Affair
Evening games are great for a number of reasons. You don’t have to get up super early, the sun is usually out of your face by kickoff, and you have plenty of time to eat and drink. This sounds like an all-around win, but an all-day tailgate can be a tricky thing. You want to maintain a good buzz throughout the festivities, but rev up too quickly and you might be dealing with a hangover by half-time. (Or worse, miss the game completely. Not that I’ve ever made such an error…)
Sipping on beverages with a lower alcohol content (“session” drinks, if you’re fancy) lets you keep the party going right up until kickoff, which is great because you’ll want to drink about ten of these.
The Crowd Pleaser
Serves 6-8, depending on how you pour)
1 quart lemonade (store-bought is fine)
1 cup Campari
1 cup St. Germain
Combine all ingredients in a large bottle, cover well, and shake to combine. Chill until ready to serve. (This one can also be made the night before.)
Related: Pat LaFrieda’s Top 10 Tips for a Tasty Tailgate
Photo: Marti Sans/Stocksy
For When You Want a Classic
The margarita is a great, classic cocktail, but stadium margaritas are a crime against humanity. They’re often too sweet, violently green, and usually a little light in the ethanol department. (Seriously, if I can drink a “yard” of something and feel nothing, there is something very sinister afoot.) The margaritas you’ll be bringing, however, are not only that perfect balance of sweet and tart, they’re also super easy to make and only contain three ingredients. (Bonus: If you love the idea of sipping on classic cocktails pre-game, both a Manhattan and a Negroni are also great three-ingredient options that you can make ahead of time.)
The Classic Margarita
Serves 6-8
1 ½ cups freshly squeezed lime juice
1 ½ cups 100-percent agave tequila
1 ½ cups orange liqueur, such as Cointreau
2 tablespoons of water
Combine all ingredients in a large bottle, cover well, and shake to combine. (The water mimics the dilution you’d get from shaking with ice, keeping everything nice and smooth.) Chill until ready to serve.
