Unable to make it to Rio in person for the 2016 Summer Olympics? Join the club. Luckily, we have you covered with our Olympics Cocktail Guide!

olympics cocktails - banner

Olympics Cocktails

Unfortunately, my athletic career was cut short by a pop-fly to the head in 5th grade baseball. Yes, I should have been paying attention. No, I shouldn’t have been popping the heads off dandelions in the outfield. Luckily, there was no actual harm done, but it did end (finally!) my parent’s attempts to get me interested in competitive sports.

Cachaça Concoctions

Since the games are in Rio this year, we absolutely have to begin the discussion with Brazil’s native sugarcane-derived spirit, Cachaça!

olympic cocktails - Antiquado

Antiquado

A Brazilian take on the Old Fashioned.

Recipe and image courtesy of Novo Fogo Cachaça.

2 oz Novo Fogo Barrel-Aged Cachaça
0.5 oz cinnamon syrup
2 dashes of chocolate bitters.

Place the cinnamon syrup at the bottom of the glass. Nearly fill the glass with ice, then add cachaça and the bitters. Stir and fill the glass with ice. Squeeze an orange peel over the glass and then drop it in.

olympics cocktails - batida

Batida

The Batida (ba-chee-dah) is Brazil’s second-most beloved cachaça drink, right after the Caipirinha.

Recipe and image courtesy of Novo Fogo Cachaça.

2 oz Novo Fogo Silver or “Chameleon” Cachaça
0.5 oz coconut milk
0.5 oz lime juice
1 oz BG Reynolds Passionfruit Syrup.

Add all ingredients to a blender with 0.5 cup ice and blend until smooth, or shake all ingredients with crushed ice and pour everything into a glass to serve.

olympic cocktails - Caipirinha

Caipirinha

The Caipirinha is believed to have originated near Sao Paulo sometime in the 16th century. Since then it has made the long, slow climb to becoming one of the world’s most-ordered cocktails.

Recipe and image courtesy of Novo Fogo Cachaça.

2 oz Novo Fogo Silver Cachaça or Novo Fogo Barrel-Aged Cachaça
1/2 lime
1.25 tbsp sugar.

Remove the white pith from the lime and discard it. Cut the remaining lime in slices; toss them into the glass. Muddle them with sugar in the glass. Fill the glass with ice. Add cachaça and pour everything into a shaker. Give it a go; pour everything (including the ice) back into the same glass.

Click here to watch a series of how-to videos about the Soul of the Caipirinha.

Medal-Worthy Drinks

Suffering from a case of #PhelpsFace? Mix up one of these bubbly recipes and you’ll be shadow boxing like Chad le Clos!

Cartwheel Cooler

Recipe and image courtesy of DRY sodas.
olympics cocktails - Cartwheel Cooler

1.5 oz. Vanilla Bean DRY
¾ oz. fresh lime juice
1.5 oz. fresh grapefruit juice
1.5 oz. simple syrup
½ oz. Licor 43
1.5 oz. gold rum
2 thin slices of fresh jalapeno
Dash of Angostura bitters
Lime wedge garnish

Shake with ice and strain into an ice-filled glass. Top with Vanilla Bean DRY.

Gold Medal Mojito

Recipe and image courtesy of DRY sodas. olympics cocktails - gold medal mojito

3 oz. Rhubarb DRY
2 oz. Cachaça
¾ oz. fresh lime juice
Mint Sprigs
Ice
Mint sprig and lime twist garnish

Build in an ice-filled glass.

Sprinter Spritzer

Recipe and image courtesy of DRY sodas.

3 oz. Fuji Apple DRY
3 oz. Prosecco
Apple Peel garnish

Build in an iced-filled Collins glass.

World Cocktails

This year, my home state of Maryland all by itself ranks second in the gold medal count. Maybe I should include the Orange Crush or the Blackeyed Susan in this list? Probably not. there’s already enough suffering in the world.

Barbados Mojito

1 bunch fresh mint, stems discarded
2 limes, cut into 8 wedges
½ cup sugar
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup canned crushed pineapple
1 cup Allaire rum
4 cups ice cubes
1 cup club soda

Muddle Mint and sugar in a rocks glass, add other ingredients and stir. Top with club soda.

Greek Cosmo

1 ½ oz. FOS Greek Mastiha
¾ oz. orange liqueur, such as Triple Sec or Cointreau
¾ oz. cranberry juice
½ oz. fresh lime juice

Combine the vodka, orange liqueur, cranberry juice and lime juice in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Strain into a martini glass.

olympics cocktails - jagermule

Germany – Jagermule Punch

At the moment, Germany is doing well, and is hanging in the top 10 for the medal count. One of the more noteworthy efforts came from German gymnast Andreas Toba’s awe-inspiring pommel horse performance, powering through after a heartbreaking knee injury.

Created by Flinn Pomroy, Sweetwater Social, recipe and image courtesy of Jagermeister.

125 oz Jagermeister
42.5 oz Fresh Lime Juice
37.5 oz Ginger Syrup
35 oz Bigelow Orange & Spice Tea
60 oz Soda Water (add to taste)
2 whole oranges sliced into very thin discs.

There is little to no prep involved with this recipe.

Combine Jägermeister, Lime Juice, and Ginger Syrup to punch bowl.
Bring 5 cups of water to a boil and add 5 tea bags of Bigelow Orange & Spice.
Remove water from heat and allow to steep for 6 minutes (You will have more tea brewed than you are actually going to use.)
Add 35oz of Bigelow Orange and Spice tea to the punch bowl.
Stir punch vigorously.
Add soda to taste.
Top entire punch with sliced orange discs.
Serve over ice in traditional Mule Tins or in another receptacle of your choosing.
Garnish with your teams assigned garnish – and enjoy responsibly.

Mexican Margarita

1 tbsp. coarse salt
1 lime wedge, plus ¾ oz. fresh lime juice
Ice
2 ¼ oz. El Consuelo tequila
1 ½ oz. triple sec
3/4 ounce Rich Simple Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

New York Lemon Drop

2 oz. Peony vodka
1 oz. simple syrup
¾ oz. fresh lemon juice
½ oz. Cointreau

Combine the vodka, simple syrup, lemon juice and Cointreau in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Strain into a martini glass.

Restaurant Specials

If you happen to be in the NYC area during the games, several venues are running themed drink specials in honor of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Blockheads

In honor of the Olympics, Blockheads NYC, a Mexican staple in NYC for over 20 years, has created a Brazilian-inspired take on a frozen margarita, the “Margarinha”, a hybrid of the infamous Blockheads frozen margarita and a Caipirinha. Normally priced at $7, the “Margarinha” will be sold for a reduced price of $5 every time the US wins a gold medal!

Frozen Margarinha

The Frozen Margarinha

Recipe and image courtesy of Blockheads NYC.

2 oz Tequila
1 oz Triple Sec
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1 oz Simple Syrup
1.5 oz Cachaca

Blend all margarita ingredients with ice and top with the Cachaca, squeeze several lime wedges into the glass and leave the wedges!

Del Frisco’s

To celebrate the 2016 Summer Olympics, Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group is launching three medal-worthy cocktails. Liquid Gold, The Silver Lining and Bronzed and Bourbon will be featured at Del Frisco’s Steak Houses, Del Frisco’s Grilles and Sullivan’s Steakhouses across the country.

olympics cocktails - del friscos

Liquid Gold

Only the strongest for the highest honor. ($12)

2 oz Peach Raspberry Grand Marnier
4 oz Ginger Ale
Lemon Twist

Fill Tall glass with ice. Add Peach Raspberry Grand Marnier and top with Ginger Ale. Garnish with a lemon twist.

The Silver Lining

A light libation for the brighter side.($12)

2 oz St Germaine Elderflower
2 oz Prosecco
3 oz Soda Water
3 Blueberries/3 Raspberries

Fill a wine glass with ice. Add St Germaine and Prosecco, top with Soda Water. Top with raspberries and blueberries. Roll into mixing tin and back into the glass to sink berries.

Bronzed and Bourbon

Red, white and bronze.($12)

2 oz Bulleit Bourbon
3/4 oz Domaine De Canton
1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice
Cherry

Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass, fill with ice. Top with shaker tin and shake vigorously 10-15 times. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Drop Cherry in the glass.

How are you celebrating the 2016 Olympics?

What have been your favorite Rio moments so far?
What drinks are you making to celebrate your country’s medal moments?

Let us know in the comments below (you may have to scroll a bit!), we’d love to hear from you!

Standard Disclosure: The “A History of Drinking” team received one or more of the products mentioned above for free. Regardless, we only recommend products or services that we either personally like or believe to be of interest to our readers. If a product sucks, we will tell you in no uncertain terms. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”