I’m not gonna lie. My favorite part of football season isn’t football. (eeks! I said it!) My favorite part of football season is tailgating! Getting a pre-game buzz on while grilling on a Weber in the parking lot… there’s really nothing better! Really!! I love tailgating because it’s a departure from the elegant soirees I normally host and it gives you the opportunity to get creative with your vehicle! Believe me, I’ve rocked some parking lots before! And, honestly, I was the talk of the stadium with my canopy, beach chairs, elaborate buffet spread and truck tailgate bar!
Don’t have tickets to the game? That’s okay! Plenty of people “tailgate” at home now. It’s called inviting friends over and watching the game on TV, people! Either way, your guests are gonna want food and drinks!
Tailgate Grub
I’m a big fan of taco bars (and Bloody Mary Bars for that matter!) (which is almost like “food” isn’t it?!!) because you can prepare the meat ahead of time and reheat when guests arrive. The rest is just arranging the accoutrements. People love DIY party food! With an elaborate spread of salsas, a couple bowls of cheese, some fresh chopped cilantro and tortillas, your grub is served!
Finger foods are also a no brainer. There are tons of frozen mini quiches and egg rolls you can easily bake with no kitchen fuss. Have a crockpot? With a bag of frozen meatballs and 5- ingredient sauce made with honey, ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce and garlic, you’ve got a party! Let the meatballs simmer in sauce all morning and by afternoon they’re reading for a serving platter. Spear them with pics and people can just pop ‘em on their plate!
Tailgate Cocktails
Okay, now that we’ve got the food covered, let’s get to the important stuff—the cocktails! Yeah, you could just do beers… but that’s a little lazy and pathetic! You’re better off having a little mini-bar assembled or at least one signature cocktail that you can cleverly name according to your team.
Aaron Goldfarb and our friends at Fix.com have put together some drink recipes that are perfect for a DIY tailgate bar. For large batch punch and other drink recipes, check out the full article on becoming the Titan of Tailgating! Score!
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