It’s football season! I’m not a big football fan, but I like hanging out with my friends so I’ll join to watch a game and indulge in a few tailgating drinks. Hawaii doesn’t have any professional teams, but you can bet your ass people are tailgating for University of Hawaii games.

I’ve had a few friends reach out recently to ask for ideas of drinks they could make ahead of time and serve while tailgating or watching the game at home. Pre-batching is what we say at work for preparing most, if not all of the ingredients, and then serving later on. This is relatively easy with cocktails because the ingredients for the most part don’t go bad. Some of the recipes might call for carbonated drinks which I tell people to add right before starting to serve to guests.

Tailgating is all about fun and convenience, and pre-made (pre-batched) tailgating drinks are perfect for the occasion! Here are some options you can prepare in advance that will make your guests or fellow tailgaters happy.

Sangria

Here’s an easy sangria recipe that you can whip up in no time and have ready for your tailgate or football party! This is one that you’ll need to add the final ingredient right before serving. Otherwise, everything else can be prepped beforehand.

Ingredients

1 bottle of red wine (750 ml, any variety you like)
1/4 cup brandy (optional)
1/4 cup orange liqueur (like Triple Sec)
1/3 cup sugar (or to taste)
1 of each orange, lemon, and lime, sliced
1 cup mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries – I usually grab a bag of frozen)
2 cups soda water or lemon-lime soda (Sprite or something similar)

Instructions

Combine the ingredients. In a large pitcher, mix the red wine, brandy (if using), orange liqueur, and sugar.
Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Add the sliced orange, lemon, lime, and mixed berries to the pitcher. Stir gently.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let the flavors meld.

Just before serving, add the soda water or lemon-lime soda for some fizz. Pour over ice and enjoy!

Tropical Cocktail Spritz

This tailgating drink is a bit of a different take on my July Featured Cocktail, Crushed Oranges. That’s also a drink that would be easy to pre-make, but I’ve been recommending this one and wanted to include it.

Ingredients

One 2 liter bottle of Sprite
2 cups orange juice
2 cups pineapple juice
1 bottle prosecco
2 cups vodka
strawberries sliced
oranges, sliced
Ice – unless being stored and served from the fridge

Instructions

Combine all ingredients except the prosecco and Sprite in a container and mix. Add prosecco and Sprite right before serving.

Notes

Two of my friends have made this cocktail for their parties. I recommended adding a little bit more vodka, especially knowing who will be the ones drinking. Both added one more cup of vodka and they said that it worked well. Keep in mind how drunk you want to get your guests .

Shandy: Beer Punch

For those of us that like something refreshing like juice, but boozy like beer, a Chandy is perfect for you! I tell my friends that I like to get some vitamins in while I’m getting drunk. A shandy will help with that!

Ingredients

Beer (lager or ale)
Fruit juice (like lemonade or cranberry)
Sliced fruit (optional)

Instructions

Mix the beer and juice in a cooler or large pitcher. Add fruit slices for garnish.

Cold or Hot Brew Coffee Cocktails

In Hawaii, the early east coast football games start VERY early in the morning. For those days or those guests that need a kick of coffee, this is the option for them. Cold brew coffee is easy enough to make or buy a few days before hand. Cold brew can be purchased or if you’re like me you like to make your own. Check out this relatively inexpensive cold brew coffee maker on Amazon. If you’ve got hot coffee drinkers, hot coffee can be brewing all day!

Ingredients

Cold or hot brew coffee
coffee liqueur (ex: Kahlua)
milk or cream (optional).
Give it an extra kick and add some whiskey!

Instructions

There are multiple ways to make this depending where you’re going, the crowd you’re with, and how you want to set things up.

The cold brew and ingredients can be mixed and poured into bottles for easy serving. Providing different options like with or without milk as well as adding whiskey along with the coffee liqueur will give your tailgating friends a couple of choices. Hot coffee cocktails can also be prepared ahead of time, but should be the same day and need to be stored in a container that will keep your coffee hot for an extended period of time. Something like this container can be found on Amazon and will keep your coffee hot for 12 hours and cold for 24!

For the Sober Folks: Fruit-Infused Water

For the sober folks, the much appreciated designated drivers. Sometimes I know it’s nice just to have a drink that’s a little different than soda or water. This drink looks pretty and tastes delicious.

Ingredients

Water
Fruit: Lemon, lime, strawberries, oranges
Additional ideas: mint, rosemary, even basil can be a great option!

Instructions

Add sliced fruits and chosen ingredients to a large container of water. Let it sit for a few hours in the fridge before serving. Some people might also like carbonated water. I like to leave out a few options of ingredients in bowls for people to make their own drink. Have some cans of bottles of fizzy water available for those guests.

While the focus of this post has been serving drinks at football related activities, these tailgating drinks are perfect for any party. Poker night, game night, even while camping! These options are easy to prepare and serve, making them perfect for any fun group activity.