This post has been sponsored by Diageo, Anheuser-Busch and Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This content is for 21 and older readers.
I’ve never considered myself a “die-hard” football fan, but I have rooted for my team my whole life and enjoy the act of watching and celebrating with friends. There is something so fun about creating the big game day spread, tailgating or even cheering on a team together. I personally think I enjoy the camaraderie more than anything, but that’s okay—right?
In preparation for our gathering this year, I thought it might be fun to make a drink station a little bit more fun than a simple “grab a beer or glass of wine.” Of course, I still picked up my favorite [ yellow tail ] Chardonnay and [ yellow tail ] Cabernet, Bud Light, Budweiser, and Michelob ULTRA, but I also picked up a bottle of SMIRNOFF No. 21 Vodka to add a little fun into the mix.
For this year’s party, I plan to set up the perfect Bloody Mary and Michelada Bar. For this particular idea, I decided to give it a test run the other morning. It did not disappoint. The drinks were absolutely delicious! I basically gathered a ton of toppings from the grocery store and then included the Smirnoff, Bud Light, Budweiser, and Michelob ULTRA. I also grabbed a tomato-based mixture. From there, your guests can create whatever they’d like! The toppings we included were as follows:
- Small pearl cocktail onions
- Bacon skewered
- Shrimp
- Celery
- Pickles
- Lemons
- Limes
- Olives
- Tabasco
- Pepper
- Worcestershire
- Sopressata
- Cheese Cubes
People are then free to create their own Bloody Mary or Michelada made with Bud Light, Michelob ULTRA or Budweiser. While I love a great Michelada, I absolutely love a Bloody Mary. My favorite recipe is below:
The Perfect Bloody Mary Recipe:
- 1 Part Smirnoff Vodka
- 4 Part Bloody Mary Mix (I usually get whatever is at the store and season myself)
- 2 tsp Worcestershire
- A generous Pepper dash
- 1 Lemon squeezed
- 1 Lime squeezed
- Salt (the coarser, the better)
- Tabasco to taste (I say the spicier, the better!)
Then, just top with what your heart desires and voila! YUMMMMM. Your guests will love that there are plenty of options for everyone, and it makes for that flawless Big Game celebration you’re looking for.
As I mentioned above, I also included the beer in bottles (I prefer serving bottled beer over cans), and Yellow Tail Chardonnay and Cabernet for the non-beer/vodka lovers (I LOVE wine, so I love that this is tasty and not hard on your wallet). Plus, I always think even when having a “bar” of some sort, you should still have a variety of drinks for different tastes. You don’t have to go crazy, but a few options are always nice (i.e. the wine and bottled beer).
We had so much fun assembling our “drinks” (which were so packed full of toppings, they were more like appetizers!) I’m looking forward to putting this together for our guests in a few weeks!
What toppings do you prefer for the perfect Bloody Mary?
XX
