The Best Tailgate Drinks According to Fetch

Not everyone at your party is going to have the same idea of what the best tailgate drinks are, and that’s okay. What makes a good tailgate drink? It depends on a lot. From breakfast tailgate drinks to non-alcoholic mixed drinks for tailgating (aka mocktails) to hot drinks for those cold game days, Fetch has you covered.

We help you with your tailgating needs, sure, but Fetch is also America’s Rewards App. Download Fetch from the app store and start earning points on your grocery purchases with just the snap of your camera.

What makes a great tailgate drink?

There’s no one thing that makes a great tailgate drink, but it’s a good idea to follow a few simple rules. They shouldn’t be too strong and they need to be portable, easy to make (or prepare ahead of time) and sweet (but not too sweet).

• Go big, mix drinks in bulk
• Simple trumps fancy
• Use leak-proof containers
• Label your drinks
• Keep water on-hand to stay hydrated

Wondering what ingredients make a great tailgate drink? We’ve got you covered with mixed drinks and more below.

How to earn rewards on your favorite tailgate drinks and ingredients

Step one: snap your receipt. That’s not the only way to turn your best tailgate party drink recipes into Fetch points (and rewards). Take your rewards game to the next level with

• Favorite Offers: Every time you open the Fetch app, you’ll find offers that can earn you extra points for trying a product or shopping at a specific retailer. Favorite the offers you like and use it as your shopping list.
• Boosted Brands: In addition to offers, you can find whole brands with boosted points. You’ll see a flame icon next to the brand logo: the bigger the flame, the bigger the boost.
• Fetch Shop: You’ve got to get ready for the tailgate, let someone else do the shopping for you. Order your tailgate drinks (and practically anything else) delivered to you right from our app using Fetch Shop. The best part? You earn points on almost every dollar spent.

Great non-alcoholic tailgate drinks

If you’re hosting a game day party, it’s good to be prepared for any guests who don’t drink. You don’t have to stretch your imagination too far to find great non-alcoholic tailgate drinks. You can turn any of our mixed drinks into mocktails (though some might be better choices than others), and it’s tough to go wrong with soda (or pop). 

Here are some specific non-alcoholic drinks and their ingredients to top off your tailgating menu:

• Canned drinks: Brisk, Bubly, Pepsi or Coke, Dr. Pepper and Mug Root Beer
• Sweet tea. Black tea, granulated sugar and lemons.
• Cherry limeade. Limeade concentrate, maraschino cherries, lime wedges and sparkling water.
• Shirley Temple. Grenadine, lime juice, lemon-lime soda and maraschino cherries.
• Fruit lemonade. Favorite frozen fruits (strawberries, peaches and blueberries are great), granulated sugar and fresh-squeezed lemon juice.

Traditional tailgate party drinks

We think the best tailgate drinks are quick, easy and homemade (more on that below), but you might need more time for other plans. Here are some traditional tailgate party drinks you can grab at the store and go with:

• Topo Chico, Vizzy or Lone River hard seltzers
• Arnold Palmer spiked teas or Simply Spiked juices
• Your favorite case of Coors, Miller or Keystone
• CÎROC Vodka Spritz or Bulleit Crafted Cocktails
• Cola, diet cola and lemon lime sodas as mixers

Mixed drinks for tailgating

Take off your mixologist hat, your best mixed drinks for tailgating are going to be pitcher cocktails. If you don’t do your prep work, you’ll spend all your time making mixed drinks with tailgating an afterthought.

Pitcher cocktails

When choosing your mixed drinks for tailgating, make them ahead of time, refrigerate and pour as needed. Some favorites include:

• Pool Party Punch: Simply lemonade, blue curacao, lemon wheels and orange wedges.
• Jungle Juice: Skyy vodka, gin, rum, tequila, triple sec, fruit juices, and lemon-lime soda.
• Irish Lemonade: lemonade, simple syrup and Jameson whiskey.
• Alabama Slammer: Southern Comfort, amaretto, sloe gin, amaretto, orange juice and cherries.
• Beer Margarita: beer, 1800 tequila and frozen Minute Maid limeade concentrate.

Need a lot of ice to keep things cool and want good, strong tailgate drinks? Make them stronger and plan for them to get diluted.

Breakfast tailgate drinks

Sometimes you’re up at down to get everything ready, and you’ll want all of the good tailgate drinks we mentioned above, but you’ll also want some breakfast tailgate drinks.

• Bloody Mary: Absolut vodka, tomato juice, tabasco and anything else you might have in your fridge (olives, pickles, cubed cheese on a skewer, worcestershire sauce).
• Bloody Maria: Take your Bloody Mary ingredients and swap tequila for vodka.
• Screwdriver: Simply Orange Juice and Vodka (try Svedka).
• Mimosas: André champagne and orange juice.
• Irish Coffee: Hot or iced coffee, your favorite whiskey, brown sugar syrup and heavy cream.

Hot drinks for tailgating

In addition to Irish coffee (a breakfast tailgate drink staple), you should plan hot drinks for tailgating as game days get colder and colder.

• Mulled Wine: Mulling spices, oranges, apples and a dark red wine.
• Spiked Hot Chocolate: Hershey’s cocoa and your favorite whiskey or vodka.
• Hot Toddy: Stella Rosa brandy, Local Hive honey, cinnamon sticks and orange liqueur.

Find the latest tailgate drink deals in the Fetch App

Now you know the best tailgate drinks for cold weather, breakfast and nearly any other occasion. Check out your current offers in the Fetch app, make your list and get those supplies ready for your party. Start banking those points now and by the end of tailgating season, you might be able to splurge on new decorations, more drinks or just save them up for the start of next season.