Life
15 Festive Drinks If You're Rooting For The Kansas City Chiefs On Sunday
by Mia Mercado
It’s been 50 years since the Kansas City Chiefs have been to the Super Bowl, but any football fan will know that the star of every Super Bowl party is not the commercials, the half-time show, or even the game itself. No, the real MVP is all the football-themed Super Bowl food adorning your snack table the day of the game. What better way to wash down some Super Bowl snacks—or calm your 50 years’ worth of nerves—than with some Kansas City Chiefs-themed drinks for Super Bowl 2020. Who doesn’t love a theme party that is also drink-centric?
As the Chiefs return to the Super Bowl for the first time in half a century, you’ll want to have a food and drink spread with just as much hype. There is no Kansas City food that deserves the hype more than Kansas City barbecue. It’s saucy. It’s sweet. It’s spicy. It’s inherently football watch party fare. Even if you won’t be celebrating in the Midwest, you can still snag some Kansas City Barbecue sauce, like Jones Bar-B-Q featured in Season 3 of Queer Eye, online or at select grocers across the country. Unfortunately, if you’re buying Jones Bar-B-Q sauce online, it likely won’t make it to you in time for the game, but it’ll at least be a nice post-Super Bowl surprise in the mail.
Regardless of where you’ll be cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday, Feb. 2, here are 15 Chiefs-themed drinks to celebrate Super Bowl LIV to serve in addition to your non-alcoholic spread.
1
Red and Gold Jell-O Shots
Prep your Jell-O according to the packet instructions, but sub out half of the cold water for vodka. Make a batch of strawberry, let it set, and then make a batch of lemon Jell-O and pour it on top for a layered effect. Take one to celebrate when the Cheifs score. Take one to sulk when the refs make a bad call. Take one every time your mom is like “Doesn’t Patrick Mahomes just seem so nice?”
2
A Bounty Of Boulevard Beer
Kansas City is home to lots of craft breweries including Boulevard. See where their beer is sold near you using Boulevard’s beer finder and bring a little bit of Kansas City to your Super Bowl party. I recommend Tank 7, but Boulevard has a calculator to find your perfect beer match if you want to find your one true Boulevard beer love.
3
Kansas City Ice Water
Full disclosure: I live in Kansas City and... have never heard of this drink. However, the internet and a few local restaurant menus claim it is a Kansas City special. Midwestern grocer Hy-Vee recommends preparing it as follows: a shot of gin, a shot of vodka, a half-shot of lime juice, a half-shot of triple sec. Then, stop it off with your lemon-lime soda of choice. Garnish with a lime peel if you really want to impress your guests.
4
Old Fashioned
An old fashioned is just a good, cold-weather drink. Plus, you can pretend the cherry is intentionally color-coordinated with the Chief’s red. Bonus points if you use spirits from a local Kansas City distillery like J. Rieger’s Kansas City Whiskey or Union Horse’s Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
5
Hard Strawberry Lemonade
Make your own by adding vodka to your favorite strawberry lemonade or try Truly’s new spiked lemonade. Serve with lemon sliced and strawberries if you’re really feeling the red and gold color scheme.
6
Rabbit Gin Sour
Builders Botanical Gin from Restless Spirits Distillery in Kansas City will make a gin believer out of the most gin-averse person. Restless Spirits recommends combining their botanical gin with sugar, egg white, and lemon juice into a shaker full of ice. Get all your pre-game jitters out by shaking to combine. You can get Restless Spirits’ full recipe for a Rabbit Gin Sour on its website.
7
Bloody Mary Bar
Don’t feel like playing mixologist throughout the game? Set up a Bloody Mary bar with toppings that coordinate with Chief’s colors like lemon wedges, red and yellow peppers, and cherry tomatoes. Check out Cookie and Kate’s Bloody Mary recipe if you’re looking for a new favorite.
8
Bee’s Knees
Kansas City is home to a number of modern-day speakeasies as a nod to the city’s history during prohibition. Bee’s Knees is a prohibition-era co*cktail made with gin, lemon, and honey, for a yellow (perhaps even Chief’s gold?) color. Local Kansas City distillery Mean Mule has a recipe for a Mouth of the South co*cktail, their take on a Bee’s Knees that uses their gold agave spirit.
9
Hard Root Beer Floats
If you’re looking for a dessert you can drink, a root beer float is where it’s at. If you’re in Kansas City, get your hands on some Betty Rae’s or Glacé as your ice cream base. Going go frozen custard route? Grab some Andy’s or Sheridan’s. Pair with your root beer (alcohol or non) of choice.
10
Beermosas
If you’ll be starting your celebrating early, make a pitcherful of beermosas. Just combine beer (preferably Blue Moon) and orange juice. Garnish with an orange wedge if you’re feeling fancy.
11
Tom’s Trial
Tom’s Town Distillery, named for Kansas City’s most notorious prohibition-era political boss Tom Pendergast, has a line of gins live up to the hype of their namesake. Tom’s Town recommends using their gin to make a Tom’s Trial co*cktail, which combines their gold gin and maraschino liqueur. Get the full recipe for a Tom’s Trial on the Tom’s Town website.
12
Red and Yellow Sherbet Punch
Sherbet Punch is what I imagine the imaginary food from Hook to taste like. You can make a Super Bowl-size batch easily with lemon-lime soda, your red fruit punch of choice, and a bunch of scoops of sherbet. Make it boozy by adding some vodka.
13
Rosé Spritzers
Looking for something bubbly? Make rosé spritzers by combining your favorite rosé with your seltzer of choice. You could double down on the rosé by using Truly’s Rosé hard seltzer. Garnish with a lemon and spend your Super Bowl party telling everyone “pink and gold is basically the same as red and gold.”
14
Red and Gold Sangria
Sangria is another great option for a big batch co*cktail. Use Prosecco or white wine and a bunch of red and gold fruits like red and yellow apples, pineapple, mango, strawberries, and raspberries.
15
Spiked Sweet Tea
While not necessarily a Kansas City staple, sweet tea pairs perfectly with southern-style cooking like the kind you’ll find at Strouds. Just add vodka and a little lemonade to your favorite sweet tea recipe.
If all else fails, you could also just chug a beer like Patrick Mahomes whenever the Chiefs score. Cheers, Chiefs fans!
