American footballers, take a knee. It’s time for the REAL fútbol to shine. (I mean, you kick a soccer ball with your foot...it just makes sense.)
For the first time ever, a global championship tournament for the world’s top club teams is coming to the U.S. in 2025. With 32 elite squads competing—and multiple Florida venues hosting matches—you already know we’ve gotta go hard for the homegrown heroes.
Haven’t started planning your match-day watch parties yet? Don’t worry—we’ve got you. We’ve rounded up 9 of our favorite game-day cocktails that are bold, crowd-pleasing and easy to make. Keep reading for soccer-inspired sips that’ll have you yelling “GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL” after the very first taste.
Summer sports and spicy cocktails go together like a soccer ball and Lionel Messi's left foot. This recipe brings different levels of spice, from the jalapeños to the ginger beer to the hot sauce (if you’re a real spice seeker). The depth of flavor in this drink is one tasty volley to the tastebuds.
The Recipe
½ ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
4 ounces ginger beer
2 thin slices fresh jalapeño
2 dashes hot sauce (optional)
Lime wedge, for garnish
Extra jalapeño slice, for garnish
In a copper mug or glass, muddle the jalapeño slices with fresh lime juice. Fill the mug with ice, then pour in the vodka. Top with ginger beer and stir gently to combine. For an extra kick, add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce. Garnish with a lime wedge and a slice of jalapeño and enjoy the heat!
If the most spice you’ll tolerate is a Tajin rim, then this is the game-day recipe for you. This fruity, bourbon-based cocktail is delicious enough on the rocks, but try blending it using frozen strawberries for a frozen drink that’ll keep you cool (even when the ref is making your blood boil).
The Recipe
1 ½ ounces Four Roses Small Batch Kentucky Bourbon
2-3 strawberries
¾ ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
Rim a rocks glass with a lime wedge and tajin and set aside. Muddle the bourbon and strawberries at the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add ice, triple sec and lime juice to the tin and shake. Strain into the prepared glass over ice. Garnish with a lime wheel.
If your match-day gathering is more than just you and a couple pals, you’ll want to whip up a batch cocktail that can serve a crowd. This bourbon punch recipe is citrusy, refreshing and will keep your watch party crew sipping from kick-off to the final whistle.
The Recipe
1 ½ ounces Brother’s Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey
3 ounces punch mix*
2 ounces ginger ale or lemon-lime soda
*Punch Mix
8 ounces Aperol Aperitivo
12 ounces orange juice
4 ounces lemon juice
½ ounce Angostura bitters
For the punch mix: Add Aperol, orange juice, lemon juice and angostura bitters to a large punch bowl. Keep it covered and refrigerated when not in use.
For the cocktail: Add the bourbon and a ladle of punch mix to a rocks glass over ice. Top with ginger ale or lemon-lime soda. Garnish with an orange peel.
This one’s a little experimental, but trust us: matcha martinis are about to be all over your FYP. For the soccer girlies who love a theme, the green hue of this sweet, earthy cocktail matches the pitch’s green turf in the most Instagrammable way.
The Recipe
1 ½ ounces Mozart White Chocolate Liqueur
1 ounce V5 Vodka
½ teaspoon matcha powder
1 ounce unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
White chocolate shavings
In a cocktail shaker, whisk the matcha powder into the almond milk until dissolved. Add white chocolate liqueur, vodka and a handful of ice. Shake vigorously until chilled and frothy. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a light dusting of matcha powder and white chocolate shavings.
If you have a bottle of passionfruit liqueur collecting dust on your bar cart, game day is the time to put it to work. This tequila-based cocktail with passionfruit liqueur, creamy coconut milk and zesty lime juice is the perfect drink for those who always reach for tropical flavors. When abuela brings over her famous flan or quesillo on match day, this is the only drink to pair with it.
The Recipe
2 ounces Mi CAMPO Reposado Tequila
¾ ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
¾ ounce coconut milk
½ ounce Chinola Passionfruit Liqueur
Toasted coconut shavings
Pineapple wedge
Rim a rocks glass with toasted coconut. Set aside. In a cocktail shaker, add the tequila, lime juice, coconut milk and passionfruit liqueur. Fill with ice and shake well until frosty. Double strain into the prepared glass over a large ice cube and garnish with a lime wheel and pineapple wedge.
If your idea of good hospitality includes offering a roncito to your guests when they walk through the door, this take on a Dark ‘n Stormy is the perfect match-day cocktail to make for you and your guests. This rum mule is especially delicious when paired with spicy Caribbean dishes, like jerk chicken, Puerto Rican pernil or conch fritters.
The Recipe
1 ½ ounces Diplomatico Mantuano Rum
3 ounces ginger beer
½ ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
Mint sprig
Add rum and lime juice to a tall glass with ice. Top with ginger beer and stir to combine. Garnish with a sprig of mint and a lime wedge.
For those morning to early afternoon matches, a killer Bloody Mary is the best way to start the match on the right foot. If you’re expecting company, try assembling a Bloody Mary garnish bar where guests can adorn their glass with all the celery, bacon, cherry tomatoes, cocktail onions, stuffed olives, citrus slices and other savory treats they could ever want.
The Recipe
1 ½ ounces Highland Park 12 Year Scotch
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
3 to 4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Pinch of celery salt
3 to 4 grinds fresh pepper
1 to 2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 teaspoon horseradish
2 ounces tomato juice
Celery stalk
Add Scotch, lemon juice, Worcestershire, tomato juice, horseradish, bitters, fresh pepper and celery salt to a tall glass over ice. Stir to combine. Garnish with a celery stalk and skewer with a lemon wedge, cocktail onion and stuffed olive.
Sometimes your match-day drink of choice isn’t a beer, it’s a fruity little tiki drink best served with an umbrella in it. We see you, and we salute you. This tropical cocktail will pair delightfully with any Asian snacks you’re serving in your game-day spread, like egg rolls, crab rangoons, edamame or noodles.
The Recipe
1 ½ ounces Brugal 1888 Gran Reserva Rum
2 ounces pineapple juice
1 ounce orange juice
1 ounce sour mix
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Nutmeg
Mint sprig
Add rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, sour mix and bitters to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a tall glass over ice. Garnish with grated nutmeg, a lime wheel and a sprig of mint.
No game-day cocktail list is complete without a banging margarita recipe, and here it is: just add pomegranate juice and a handful of pomegranate seeds to your traditional margarita for a fancy-pants match-day marg. Pair it with copious amounts of tortilla chips and mango salsa, of course.
The Recipe
2 ounces LALO Tequila
¾ ounce fresh pomegranate juice
½ ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
¼ ounce agave syrup
Pomegranate seeds
Rim a rocks glass with lime and salt and set aside. Add tequila, pomegranate juice, lime juice and agave to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into the prepared rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wheel and pomegranate seeds.
