Tailgate Cocktail: Ole Miss Edition

Photo courtesy chow.com

With Ole Miss rolling into town we Alabama fans have to bring our A game.  While the game may not turn out to be competitive on the field, this week is basically the national championship of tailgate parties.  Ole Miss fans like to say that they have never lost a party, and as bad as their football team is year in and year out, I suppose they have to brag about something.  As a show of respect to our opponents and due to the absurdly late kickoff time, I present two cocktails and a barbeque sauce recipe.  Saturday is going to be a long day so we shall begin with the Irish Coffee, then move on to the John Daly as morning turns to afternoon and we tend to the ribs on the smoker.

We begin our day with an Irish Coffee cocktail, which I chose because the early games consist of Big Ten conference play meaning we will need both the caffeine of the coffee to stay awake and the alcohol to numb the senses to make the plodding, poorly executed football they play in the Midwest tolerable.  We also need to get the smokers set up and going so a pick me up will come in handy.

• Grind fresh coffee beans and brew a pot, making sure to use more coffee than normal when brewing so the flavor stands up to the bourbon
• Fill coffee cup 3/4 full with freshly brewed coffee, then add a teaspoon of sugar
• Add a splash of bourbon (no more than a 1 Mississippi count per cup as not to overpower) and stir
• Top with whipped cream

Moving on the afternoon session, I have chosen the John Daly.  I was tempted to go with the Hot Toddy since Ole Miss fans can often be found yelling Hotty Toddy for some reason but late September is essentially still Summer in Dixie, and a hot cocktail is not something that most people would enjoy over the course of an entire afternoon and evening.  The John Daly on the other hand is something that is both delicious and refreshing, which will come in handy while tending to the smokers all day long.  The drink is called the John Daly because it an alcoholic version of an Arnold Palmer.

• In a cocktail shaker combine two ounces Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka and two ounces lemonade
• Add ice and shake vigorously
• Serve over fresh ice

To demonstrate my respect for our opponents’ tailgating abilities as well as my commitment to The Process I would also like to share my recipe for Blueberry Bourbon Barbeque Sauce, which works nicely with ribs, pulled pork and chicken.

Ingredients:

2 large tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 of a large white onion, diced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pint fresh blueberries
14 shakes of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
5-6 shakes of garlic powder
2-3 ounces bourbon (hold the bottle upside down and give it a solid 3-Mississippi count)

Directions:

• Combine ketchup, brown sugar, sugar, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and bourbon in a pot and heat uncovered over medium heat while dicing the onions and tomatoes
• Add diced tomatoes and onions and blueberries to the pot while stirring
• Add 14 shakes of Frank’s Red Hot sauce
• Reduce heat to simmer and cook for about an hour
• After allowing the sauce to cool, puree the mixture in food processor

Week 5 is going to be a marathon, and the lackluster slate of games will make the wait for the Tide kickoff seem even longer but we must power through.  We may not have chandeliers hanging in tents like they do in the Grove, but we will have good drinks, good barbeque and the best football team in the land.  Let’s show them how it’s done.  Roll Tide.