Spirited Cocktails: Signature 2018 Super Bowl Party Beverage

The big game is this weekend & I know a lot of you are eagerly anticipating Super Bowl 52 because you’re either all about the game, all about hanging with friends at a party, or some happy medium of these two. Personally, I’m there just for the “hanging with friends part” 🙂 and I’ve created a signature batch Super Bowl Party beverage for us to enjoy.

Super Bowl Party Batch Cocktails, Why Not?

I polled some readers and pulled together a list of what they wanted to, or planned on, enjoying game day. The top 5 responses were:

1. Beer
2. Wine
3. Cocktails/Whiskey
4. Margarita
5. Sangria

Personally, I like to bring, or have on hand, a big batch beverage for guests to enjoy, either sangria or some sort of cocktail. They are delicious, easy to make, cost effective, and you help make the event a memorable one due to the inclusion of an specialty cocktail already prepared and ready to go.

For those that don’t believe in the cost effectiveness of batch cocktails, there are several big batch recipes floating around the internet, a Google search will bring you back well over a million hits (Wide Open Eats, Buzz Feed, etc.)

And I guarantee I can make a batch cocktail for a crowd and it will cost me less than trying to supply that same crowd (or half of it) with liquor, beer, or wine.
**Now, keep in mind, I keep a my bar fully loaded, so I usually only need to buy 1 or 2 ingredients to prep a batch.

So with that in mind, I really wanted to create a big batch drink this year,  And if you know me, you know I LOVE sangria and a good margarita. Sangria is an excellent choice for parties because generally the wine used is inexpensive ($10-$12 range) and its inclusion allows the concoction to stretch further than cocktails or wine will on their own.

So while tossing ideas around, I decided to combine my love of margaritas and sangria. And since blood oranges are in season, I tossed those in as well to to step it up a notch. 😉  So my signature Super Bowl Party Beverage this year is (you guessed it): The Blood Orange Margarita Sangria

Blood Orange Margarita Sangria

While searching the internet for portion insights and such, I found out I was not the only one to realize how awesome a margarita sangria would be. 😀  I would not be deterred, so I powered on and crafted my very first signature drink. And I have it on the good authority of the one friend who had to go through 4 rounds of test batches, that it passes scruff and is indeed delicious!

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 bottle of a dry white wine–either a chardonnay or a sauvignon blanc. (I used Capeside Chardonnay because I think the tropical/pineapple-y undertones of this wine works well for this drink.
• 1 cup of tequila
• 3/4 cup of triple sec
• 1/4 cup of Blood Orange Cointreau (or any blood orange liqueur)
• 2 oz of St. Germain
• 3 dashes of Angostura bitters
•  1 oz of simple syrup (see my recipe on how to make your own)
• 1 cup of blood orange juice, freshly squeezed *bottled is fine if you can locate it*
• 1/2 cup of lime juice, freshly squeezed *bottled is fine if you have it on hand
• 1 blood orange sliced
• 1 lime sliced

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients, with the exception of the simple syrup, and stir well
2. Add in sliced fruit and allow to chill in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours
3. After rest time in the fridge, give the sangria a taste to see if it needs additional sweetness. If you stored your sangria for over two hours (I tend to let it rest overnight in the fridge) the blood orange and lime slices will add an additional citrusy, bitterness to the beverage. To counteract this, add in the simple syrup and/or more St. Germain. You can also wait to add the sliced fruit to the sangria until you are ready to serve.
   • Personally, I like the additional depth of flavor you get from letting the fruit rest in the sangria overnight. So I added in both simple syrup & bit more St. Germain to the final product.  I know not everyone shares my love of super tart, citrus drinks–just ask those that have had my homemade lemon before. 😀

To serve, I prefer a tall glass with lots of crushed ice.  However, you can also enjoy this with a salted or sugared rim.

Alternatives/Substitutions

• If you cannot get blood oranges, regular oranges and orange juice can be used
• The blood orange liqueur can be omitted, just increase the triple sec portion to 1 cup
• If you don’t have bitters, leave them out, but I like the depth of flavor they impart on the final product
• If you are feeling extra festive, you can add an additional 1/2 cup of tequila

Happy Super Bowl everyone! And if you decide to try out the Blood Orange Margarita Sangria, please let me know how it turned out by leaving a comment.  I’d love to her your take on it and any adjustments you may have made.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Spirited Traveler’s mailing list & get my Travel Planner free! This is the ESSENTIAL tool used to plan all my excursions.