20 Unexpected Cocktails To Make For The Super Bowl

For the folks who aren't avid fans of American football, the Super Bowl is all about the food. It's tradition to gather with friends on Super Bowl Sunday, chow down on appetizers like buffalo chicken dip and hot wings, and wash it down with a cold beer. Like any themed event, Super Bowl food has taken on a life of its own, with home chefs getting creative with some must-try food and drink recipes to commemorate the major sports event.  

Beer is the defacto drink of the Super Bowl, but you can always take it up a notch by whipping up some craft cocktails for the event. Watch parties are typically held in a home setting anyway, so it's easy to get out your shaker and try to mix up something new for your guests during those commercial breaks — or during the game, if it's not your thing.

Plenty of unexpected craft cocktail recipes make for a great partner to all of the popular Super Bowl foods we know and love. If you need some inspiration, we gathered 20 original Mashed recipes for cocktails (and mocktails) that are perfect for making for the big game. 

Gin and tonic might sound like a simple cocktail, but it's a perfectly satisfying mixed drink that won't make you feel too full when you're drinking one alongside a plate of fried appetizers. It's even easier to make a gin and tonic because it only requires stirring ice, gin, tonic water, and lime in a tall glass before serving. There's no need for added bar equipment or fancy ingredients for a straight-up tasty gin and tonic that goes well with anything on your Super Bowl menu. 

Recipe: Classic Gin And Tonic

Orange soda is one of those nostalgic drinks that always goes well with junk food. An adult variation of the cocktail that makes for a refreshing drink for the Super Bowl is an Orange Crush cocktail. Instead of using the pre-made stuff, this recipe mixes lemon-lime soda with fresh squeezed orange juice for a bright citrus punch. The recipe also includes a base of vodka and triple sec for a boozy kick that pairs seamlessly with the bubbly soda. 

Recipe: Orange Crush Cocktail

A Super Bowl drink recipe for the booze-free is a classic homemade strawberry lemonade. It's a great recipe to pull out during the Super Bowl when the U.S. is in the midst of winter, as it is reminiscent of the fun flavors of summer. The bottled lemonade on the grocery store shelves can't compete with the flavors of fresh strawberries and lemons cooked to unveil their natural sweetness. The recipe is simple and pairs well with a shot of liquor like vodka or tequila. 

Recipe: Homemade Strawberry Lemonade 

A Michelada is the Mexican beer version of Bloody Mary with a whole lot of flavor. It stays true to the Super Bowl tradition of drinking beer but with an ultra-savory kick. The recipe calls for Mexican beer, tomato juice, lime juice, hot sauce, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lime, and Tajin seasoning, so the drink is zesty and bursting with different flavors. It's also customizable depending on your preferred Mexican beer of choice and can be garnished in an over-the-top fashion like Bloody Marys. 

Recipe: Best Michelada 

Again, nothing helps beat the winter blues like a tropical booze-infused cocktail. A very literal way to interpret that is by celebrating the Super Bowl with Frozen Blue Hawaiian drinks, which is a colorful spin on the freezing winter blues. The recipe calls for white rum and blue Curacao blended with frozen pineapple and coconut cream. It's fruity, creamy, and almost tastes more like a dessert than a drink, especially if you put the cherry on top. 

Recipe: Frozen Blue Hawaiian Cocktail  

Like the humble gin and tonic, Ranch Water is a palate-cleansing cocktail that goes well with various finger foods on game day. It's popular to see ready-to-drink Ranch Water options, but it's almost too easy to make at home on game day. The key ingredients are Blanco tequila, fresh lime juice, and Topo Chico mineral water. The ratios can be adjusted depending on your taste, but we recommend putting a whole lot of fresh lime and savoring every sip. 

Recipe: Classic Ranch Water

The Super Bowl is a celebration, so it only makes sense to whip up a batch of Lemon Drop shots for all of your party guests. Lemon Drops are easy to make, with this recipe calling for just vodka, lemon juice, and simple syrup. You can take it up a notch by making your own simple syrup at home, but the bottled stuff will work in a pinch. Beware: these shots are so good you might be tempted to make multiple rounds during the game, which could result in a hangover. 

Recipe: Lemon Drop Shot

Fancy a drink to warm you from the inside out? For those of us who can't forget the frigid temperatures outside, Irish Coffee is the perfect cocktail to warm you up and get a buzz on. Irish Coffee is a little more in-depth, requiring you to brew a strong cup of coffee to get things started. Our recipe goes all-out by calling for DIY Bailey's whipped cream, which is easier to make than it sounds. Irish Whiskey and brown sugar flavor up the cup of Joe that will literally warm your soul. 

Recipe: Irish Coffee Cocktail 

Sangria is always a good idea for a party because it's easy to make for a crowd. Our Tropical Sangria is a fruity and flavorful recipe, with fresh chunks of pineapple, papaya, kiwis, and mangos inside. It also has oranges, limes, white wine, and pineapple juice, but it also calls for sparkling water to balance the sweetness. It's endlessly drinkable, so you'll probably want to make a big batch to last through the whole game. 

Recipe: Tropical Sangria 

Mimosas are perfect for any regular Sunday Funday party, but Peach Bellinis feel like the sophisticated sibling that's more fit for a special celebration. Our recipe calls for making your own puree with fresh, ripe white peaches mixed with lemon juice and sugar, but the result is an unbeatable flavor that tastes like biting into a sweet fruit. The peach puree is then spooned into the bottle of a Champagne glass and topped with your favorite Prosecco for a bubbly treat. 

Recipe: Classic Peach Bellini  

The Rusty Nail cocktail sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is. The recipe actually just calls for two ingredients: Scotch and Drambuie — a type of Scotch whisky liqueur flavored with honey, herbs, and spices. The Rusty Nail is an old-school cocktail that was a favorite of legends like Frank Sinatra, but really it's just a sophisticated way to serve Scotch to a crowd during the Super Bowl. We recommend using blended Scotch and big ice cubes for the best results. 

Recipe: Rusty Nail Cocktail 

Every kid seemingly loves to order a classic Shirley Temples drink, so it only makes sense to just add vodka for a fun grown-up version of the classic order. The Dirty Shirley is another drink that can serve as a palate cleanser between slices of pizza and pigs in a blanket. The recipe calls for lemon-lime soda, vodka, and grenadine, and don't forget the cherries to serve as an added boozy treat once you finish your cocktail. 

Recipe: Dirty Shirley Cocktail

Mojitos are foolproof drinks that are a labor of love, which makes them great for at-home celebrations like the Super Bowl. Before Sunday, you should head to the grocery store and pick up a whole bunch of limes and mint for endless mojito-making at the party. You will also need club soda, simple syrup, and white rum to make a classic version, but you can also muddle in a fruit of your choice, like raspberries or mangos, to spice it up.

Recipe: Classic Mojito Cocktail 

An alternative to sangria that makes for great big-batch cocktails is a classic rum punch Our Sweet Rum Punch recipe calls for light rum, but you could really use any rum you like or mix more than one kind. Then, the liquor is mixed with pineapple juice, orange juice, grenadine, and orange bitters to balance out the fruit flavor. It's one of those recipes meant to be served out of a punch bowl and in glasses with little umbrellas to forget about the cold and snow outside. 

Recipe: Sweet Rum Punch

Another unbeatable warm cocktail option for Super Bowl Sunday is a classic Hot Toddy. First, you'll need a bottle of your bourbon of choice. Then, the recipe calls for some spices, like star anise pods and cinnamon sticks, and other flavor enhancers, like lemon juice and honey. You combine the ingredients together in a mug with boiling water and wait a minute or two for your brew to be ready. It can also help if the winter weather has your sinuses stuffed up. 

Recipe: Classic Hot Toddy

Some people may use the Super Bowl as an excuse to get tipsy on a Sunday with friends, and those people should be drinking classic Long Island Iced Teas. The recipe has plenty of booze, including vodka, gin, white rum, Blanco tequila, and triple sec. Contrary to popular belief, there's no tea in this recipe. The mixers are lemon juice and cola. Word of caution: this drink might induce the Sunday Scaries after just one glass. 

Recipe: Classic Long Island Iced Tea

Another super boozy option for the Super Bowl is Homemade Apple Pie Moonshine. This one requires a bit of prep as Moonshine needs to steep for two to four weeks before it's ready. The recipe calls for 151-190-proof grain alcohol, apple cider, and apple juice. Those liquids are flavored with sugar, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla pods, so it really channels the pie flavor with a kick that's not for the faint of heart. 

Recipe: Homemade Apple Pie Moonshine

Tequila is always a good idea, so making a batch of Paloma cocktails for your Super Bowl party makes sense. The recipe calls for Blanco tequila, grapefruit juice, club soda, lime juice, and a little chili powder and salt for the rim. It's spicy and tart, which is great for people who can't swallow any drink that's too sweet. It's even better with fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice. 

Recipe: Classic Paloma Cocktail

The Super Bowl is all about indulging, so make an indulgent batch of Mudslides that are a dessert and a cocktail all in one. Our recipe includes Bailey's Irish Cream, coffee liqueur, vodka, and half and half. The drink is served in a glass coated with chocolate syrup and topped with whipped cream for even more of a treat. There's really no going wrong with this recipe, even though it's probably a cocktail you'll only want one of. 

Recipe: Decadent Mudslide Cocktail

A final non-alcohol drink option that's fun for the Super Bowl is a classic Roy Rogers on ice. The drink is basically the old-school way of making Cherry Coke, mixing Coca-Cola with grenadine and top with Maraschino cherries. If you want it to have alcohol, you could mix a shot of rum or whiskey right into the classic recipe for a fun twist on a basic mixed drink.  

Recipe: Classic Roy Rogers