The Best Drinks for Your Sunday Funday Football Party

Canned drinks are a convenient option for your cooler, and hard Mountain Dew is a must-try for your football watch parties or tailgating. The new Dew release is a top-selling flavored malt beverage that comes in four bold flavors without the added sugar. Pick up a pack to sip on the bold watermelon, original Dew, Baja Blast and black cherry flavors for kickoff.

Everything is bigger in Texas, and football and vodka are no exception! Tito’s is a handmade Texan vodka that is a fan-favorite for game day thanks to its exceptional flavor and value price. We recommend having a bottle (or two) on-hand during the season to pour vodka-based cocktails or to prepare a crowd-friendly batch recipe, like the Tito’s Strawberry Mule:

The Recipe:

• 16 ounces Tito’s Handmade Vodka

• 36 ounces ginger beer

• 9 ounces lime juice

• 3 whole limes, quartered

• 3 medium strawberries, sliced

• 6 ounces strawberry syrup (optional)

In a large pitcher or bowl, add vodka, ginger beer, lime juice and fruit. Stir to combine and add ice. For more strawberry flavor, add syrup to mixture and stir. It serves 8-10.

"The biggest shift we’ve seen over the last few years is guests shifting from malt based to spirit based RTDs. High Noon has led the charge for the spirit based canned cocktails, and continues to see double digit increases,” says David Larue ABC Fine Wine & Spirits VP of Sales & Merchandising.

For a ready-to-drink game day option, High Noon hard seltzers are an easy pick. These ‘Sun Sips’ are refreshing and made with real vodka and juice in watermelon, black cherry, grapefruit and pineapple flavors. If you’re planning to indulge through all four quarters, these seltzers are the right play at 4.5% ABV. You can also opt for their newest release, High Noon tall boys in peach or pineapple.

Why not drink a local beer this football season as you cheer on the Jags, Bucs or Dolphins? Cigar City’s Jai Alai is brewed in Tampa and is ready to grab in our stores across the state. This India pale ale features notes of orange peel and tangerine along with the Florida-grown flavors of Valencia orange and clementine. This hoppy beer is delicious to drink and tasty to blend into game day food. Try adding our Jai Alai IPA Hummas to your football food spread.

Ready to celebrate touchdowns with tequila? You’ll want to add a bottle of Casamigos Blanco Tequila to your game day repertoire. This ultra-premium tequila is super smooth and perfect to pour over ice, sip neat or stir into a tailgate cocktail, like a Blood Orange Margarita:

The Recipe:

• Equal parts sugar, salt and tajin mixture

• 2 ounces Casamigos Blanco Tequila

• 1 ounce blood orange juice

• ½ ounce simple syrup

• 2 serrano pepper slices

• Blood orange wheel

Rim a glass with equal parts sugar, salt and tajin and set aside. Combine tequila, blood orange juice, simple syrup and serrano pepper slices to a shaker. Muddle, then add ice. Shake vigorously and strain into rimmed glass over fresh ice. Add blood orange wheel garnish.

If you find your team down at the end of the game, you may have to join them in a Hail Mary effort to score by pouring a spicy shot. Even if you’ve got 50 yards to cover, who knows, maybe throwing back a little Fireball Cinnamon Whisky or adding an ounce to your soda might summon a miracle. Victory or not, this sweet and bold whisky is a game day go-to for fiery shooters and cocktails.

If you’re looking for a grab-and-go game day margarita (no mixing or straining required), you’ll want to try Cutwater’s instant margarita. This canned tequila cocktail serves up the perfect balance of flavor that rivals any bar-mixed marg while being koozie and cooler-friendly.

With a 2021 Super Bowl win, it seems fitting to throw a nod to the Bucs. For that, there is no better (or tastier) buccaneer brand than Captain Morgan. This spiced Caribbean rum is smooth, sweet and honey-spiced. It’s a value-priced and versatile spirit that’s ideal for mixing up game day cocktails and batch recipes, like the Rum Ginger Twist:

The Recipe:

• 1, 750mL bottle Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum

• 5, 12-ounce cans ginger beer

• 4 fresh limes, juiced

• Mint leaves

• Lime wheels

Combine rum, ginger beer, lime juice and mint leaves and lime wheels to a pitcher with ice. Stir to combine. Serve over ice.

For a sweet victory toast, Skrewball’s peanut butter whiskey is an intriguing spirit that’s perfect for celebrating. We recommend sipping it on the rocks, chilled and neat, or pouring it into a Peanut Butter Whiskey Float:

The Recipe:

• 4 ounces root beer

• 2 ounces Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey

• 1 ounce Michaels Irish Cream Liqueur

• 2 scoops vanilla ice cream

Combine root beer, whiskey and Irish cream. Stir gently and slowly pour over glass filled with ice cream.

If you love Crown but need something more suited to game day drinking, sub in a canned Crown cocktail. Crown’s Whisky Lemonade is available for a limited time only, so you’ll want to try this easy-drinking cocktail that brings together smooth whiskey and citrus. If lemonade isn’t your style, try a different ready-to-drink canned option from Crown.