The Best Drinks for Football Weekend: Cocktails, Beer, and Yes, Wine
College football all day Saturday, the NFL all day Sunday. That is a lot of hours on the couch, and the right drink makes the difference between a good game and a great one. Here are the best calls across cocktails, beer, and wine for a football weekend done right.
The Cocktails
Two audiences, two situations: at home where you have a full kitchen, and at the tailgate where you are working out of a cooler. These five are all spirit plus one mixer, easy to batch, and built for a crowd.
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BLOODY MARY The official drink of the noon kickoff. Vodka and Bloody Mary mix is the easy version; build it yourself with tomato juice, Worcestershire, hot sauce, horseradish, lemon, celery salt, and black pepper if you have time. Make a pitcher before the first game. Garnish with celery, olives, or a pickle spear. Best at home where you have the fridge and the garnishes. |
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MARGARITA Tequila and margarita mix over ice, salted rim optional. Two ounces of blanco tequila, four ounces of mix, done. Batch it in a pitcher or a jug for the tailgate and it travels well. Patron, Espolon, or Cazadores all work. The crowd-pleaser of the group: almost everyone drinks it and it goes with every kind of game-day food. |
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VODKA SODA Vodka and club soda over ice, squeeze of lime. As simple as it gets and that is the point. Light, clean, almost no calories, and you can drink it all afternoon without slowing down. Tito’s or Grey Goose. Tailgate-perfect: bring a bottle, grab a soda from the cooler, done. |
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BOURBON AND GINGER Two ounces of bourbon over ice, top with ginger ale or ginger beer. That is it. The ginger cuts the sweetness of the bourbon and makes it more sessionable than drinking it neat. Maker’s Mark or Jim Beam. Easy to make at the tailgate, easy to make at home. Works for the whole game. |
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RUM AND COKE Two ounces of rum, four ounces of Coke, squeeze of lime over ice. The simplest call on the list and one of the most reliable. Bacardi or Captain Morgan. Bring both to the tailgate and let people mix their own. Nobody is unhappy about a rum and Coke at a football game. |
The Beers
Beer and football are inseparable. The question is which style fits the moment. Here is the full range, from easy-drinking lagers to something with more weight for a cold afternoon game.
| Style | What It Is | Best Call | Best For |
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| Lager | Clean, crisp, easy. The default football beer for a reason: it goes with everything and you can drink it all afternoon without hitting a wall. | Modelo Especial, Coors Banquet, Miller High Life | All-day sessions, tailgates, the full slate of games |
| Pilsner | Crisper and slightly more hop-forward than a standard lager. A step up in flavor without adding much weight. Czech and German pilsners have more character than American versions. | Pilsner Urquell, Victory Prima Pils, Sixpoint The Crisp | Anyone who wants more flavor than a macro without committing to craft |
| IPA | Hoppy, bitter, aromatic. The craft beer staple. West Coast IPAs are drier and more bitter; New England IPAs are juicier and softer. Both work for football, though a session IPA keeps you sharper for a late game. | Dogfish Head 60 Minute, Sierra Nevada Torpedo, Allagash White if you want something softer | The craft beer crowd, the rivalry game, anyone who wants something to talk about |
| Stout | Dark, roasty, rich. Flavors of coffee, chocolate, and sometimes vanilla. Lower carbonation than a lager. Heavier in body, which makes it better for a cold afternoon game than a hot one. | Guinness Draught, Left Hand Milk Stout, Founders Breakfast Stout | Cold weather, night games, the fan who wants something that feels substantial |
| Wheat Beer | Light, hazy, slightly citrusy or spiced depending on the style. American wheat beers are clean and easy; Belgian witbiers have a subtle spice and orange note. Easy to drink, crowd-pleasing, good with food. | Goose Island 312, Blue Moon, Allagash White | Mixed crowds, afternoon games, anyone who finds lagers too thin and IPAs too bitter |
The Wine: Yes, Wine at a Football Game
Not everyone at the watch party drinks beer or cocktails. Wine at a football game is not a contradiction. The right bottle fits the moment just as well as a cold lager, and there are a few styles that work particularly well for a long afternoon of watching people run into each other.
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BEAUJOLAIS (THE OBVIOUS CALL) Beaujolais Nouveau drops November 19. But if you have a bottle of Morgon or Fleurie in the rack, this is the weekend to open it. Serve it slightly cool, around 60°F. Light enough to drink all afternoon, interesting enough to hold attention between plays. The wine equivalent of a great lager: easy, honest, built for company. |
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ZINFANDEL Bold, jammy, and unapologetically American. A big California Zinfandel matches the energy of a rivalry game. Lots of dark fruit, a little spice, enough body to hold up to game-day food. Seghesio Sonoma, Ridge Lytton Springs, or Turley if you want to go serious about it. |
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SPARKLING WINE Prosecco or Cava for the first half when you are still optimistic about everything. Champagne if your team wins, which is the correct use of Champagne. A glass of bubbles at kickoff is underrated as a football drink and always welcome in a crowd. |
Whatever you pour, the game is better with the right glass in hand. CrushBrew has guides to everything above. Enjoy the weekend.
