Sports
Jodie Ng

It’s soon to be Super Bowl Sunday and that means it’s time to break out the chips, pizza and of course the booze. There’s nothing wrong with sticking to a classic six-pack, but if you’re looking to mix it up, we’ve got some custom drinks courtesy of two Boston bartenders.

If you’re hosting a sea of people at your place to cheer on the New England Patriots (obviously), local bartenders Ashish Mitra from Russell House Tavern and Temple Bar’s Jenn Harvey shared some Patriots-themed cocktails to help further spice up your party.

The Red Zone

According to Mitra, The Red Zone (photo above) is a spicy drink whose natural red color belies the heat it’s packing. A classic wintertime warmer, Mitra says every ingredient of The Red Zone is “synonymous with the Super Bowl.”

Ingredients:

2 ounces of Grand Ten Distilling Fire Puncher Vodka

1 ounce of Grand Ten Distilling South Boston Irish Whiskey

0.5 ounce of Cinnamon Simple Syrup

1 ounce of Grenadine

1 dash of Angostura Bitters

2 dashes of Orange Bitters

Instructions:

  1. Pour an ounce of Grenadine into a Double Old Fashioned Glass (DOF).
  2. Add the remaining ingredients in a mixing glass. Stir with ice.
  3. Fill DOF glass with crushed ice.
  4. Strain cocktail into the double old fashioned glass.
  5. Garnish with a cocktail cherry and lemon peel.

Brady Punch

Another gameday libation is the Brady Punch, a great option if you’re hosting a large number of people.

The Brady Punch can also be served in a punch bowl half filled with ice. Mitra suggests freezing ice cubes with pomegranate seeds in them for added flavor. If you don’t like pomegranate, pineapple cubes could be used instead.

“A lot of people are getting together and having a party,” Mitra says. “If you can make a punch that people can go back to throughout the course of the game, it’s easier than having people make multiple cocktails.”

Ingredients

1  ounce of Bully Boy Hub Punch

0.5 ounces of lemon juice

0.5 ounces of pineapple juice

0.5 ounces of Amaro Braulio

Sparkling Wine

Red Zinfandel

Instructions:

  1. Add everything but the sparkling wine and red zinfandel in a cocktail shaker. Shake with ice.
  2. Add 2 ounces of sparkling wine to ice-filled Collins glass.
  3. Strain cocktail into Collins glass.
  4. Top with an ounce of Red Zinfandel.
  5. Garnish with Lemon wheels, Pomegranate seeds and one Bay leaf all inside the glass.

Bandwagon

If you want to go for something easy to make, try Harvey’s Bandwagon — a cocktail perfect for an event filled with excitement and and guests screaming at the television.

If you aren’t a fan of cocktails, Mitra says there is a whole variety of beer available for people to choose from, adding that there are a lot local and very talented brewers that brew up different styles. He also recommends cider as many brewers feature local ingredients.

“For people who don’t like cocktails, the sky is the limit,” he says. “I think if I were to recommend anything outside of a cocktail or a punch or something like that, try some great, local cider.”

Bandwagon

Ingredients

1.5 ounces of Bully Boy American Whiskey

0.5 ounces of fresh lemon juice

0.5oz simple syrup

2 dash cranberry bitters

0.25oz Zucca Rabarbaro

Instructions:

  1. Excluding the Zucca Rabarbaro, put all the ingredients in a shaker.
  2. Shake and serve over ice.
  3. Float the Zucca on top.

Cheers to all you booze connoisseurs out there, and go Patriots!