What’s New Year’s Eve if not just a holiday tailgating party? You gather with friends and have drinks and food. Then you countdown and you cheer when you get to the next year. Sounds familiar. That’s why tailgaters are so adept at throwing any kind of party, not just a tailgate. This year for New Year’s, we’re going all out at Inside Tailgating. We’re ready for 2022 and all the things that come with it (mainly the bowl games). So we thought we’d share some of the tailgating ideas that we’re doing for New Year’s to help you and your tailgating team celebrate in style. Let’s get at it!
Put Together Your Bowl Game Schedule
There are six major college bowl games on New Year’s. Which leaves us a lot of options for our New Year’s tailgating party (and of course New Year’s Day). Here’s a rundown of them we put together last year to help you plan for this year:
Not only do these six bowls on the college football bowl schedule feature automatic tie-ins to the College Football Playoff – its semi finals are played in two of these bowls each year, and rotate through them every three years – they are also some of the most storied venues in college football. For a guide to the history, traditions and what you can find to do in and around each of the six stadiums (if COVID-19 hasn’t totally wrecked the schedule).
Here is a link to the complete 2021-2022 Bowl Game schedule to also help you plan. If you’re ambitious, you can easily watch them all. What better way to start a new year than with a football game marathon?
Class It Up
Now we all love to have a couple beers at the game. However, for New Year’s, we believe in classing it up a bit on the cocktail front. It’s a special occasion, so it deserves a special cocktail. We love a martini, so we put together a collection of martinis perfect for New Year’s Eve.
Bebbo Schmebbo
Ingredients
- 1/2 Parts SVEDKA Grapefruit Jalapeno
- 1/2 Part Orange Juice
- 1/2 Part Honey Syrup
- 3/4 Part Fresh Lemon Juice
Vodka does funny things to everyone at the average tailgate. But New Year’s Eve is no average tailgate. So, let’s use it as the spirit recipe just a bit for tonight.
GREY GOOSE “WET” MARTINI
Ingredients
- 2 Parts Grey Goose Vodka
- 1 Part Chilled Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
- Dash Of Orange Bitters
- Mediterranean Olives, garnish
ROSEMARY WHISPER
Ingredients
- 2 Parts SVEDKA Vanilla Infused With Rosemary
- 1 Part Fresh Sour Mix
- 1/2 Part Egg White Rosemary Sprig
Serve The Crowd
If you’re looking for New Year’s tailgating ideas for a large group of people, skip the cocktail menu. It’s too much work to mix up individual cocktails for everyone. Instead, save yourself the time and trouble and batch a delicious punch. We’ve picked our two favorite punch recipes.
BACARDÍ PARTY PUNCH
Ingredients
- 750 ML Bottle Bacardi Superior Rum
- 1 L Cranberry Juice
- 2 L Ginger Ale, chilled
- 8 Oz Orange Juice
- 1 Oz Lime Juice
- 1 1/2 Oz Lemon Juice
WINTER FLOWERS PUNCH
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 Cup Superfine Sugar
- 1/2 Cup St-Germain
- 1/4 Cup Honey
- 1/2 Cup Cognac, Tequila, Bourbon, or Gin
- 16 Oz Chilled Brewed Chamomile Tea
- 2 Bottles Martini Prosecco
- Orange or Lemon Slices
As you are tailgating at a big New Year’s Bowl Game, or even the personal tailgate you are having at home, here are a couple of drinks to keep you feeling great.
Serve Some Tasty Dishes
We’ve reviewed a lot of tailgating ideas for the New Year’s menu. We knew we had to look to the Southern states for inspiration because they have a lucky New Year’s meal. In the spirit of the South’s lucky meal of black eyed peas, cornbread, and greens, we thought the best option would be our favorite greens recipe.
Quick & Easy Sauteed Tuscan Kale
Ingredients
- 16 Oz Tuscan Kale, washed and drained
- 1 Small Shallot, diced
- 2 Cloves Garlic, minced or grated
- 1-2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/4 Cup Low-Sodium Fat Free Chicken Broth
- Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
- Coarse Himalayan Sea Salt, to taste
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
- 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp Raw Honey
How about a modern twist on a New Year’s Day staple for your college bowl tailgating needs? We give you this kale recipe for your “greens” fix, which as a bonus will give you a jumpstart on your New Year’s resolution to eat healthier in 2022 – and that includes your tailgate spreads. Feel free to experiment with other greens too. All of them are considered lucky because they look like folded money!
Plan For New Year’s Day
When it comes to tailgating ideas, we all forget to think about the day after. We’re all guilty of having a little too much fun at a tailgate and we’ve also been there on New Year’s Day. We’re big believers in planning as all tailgaters. So we thought we’d also help you plan for New Year’s Day because let’s face it, we’re all going to be sitting around a little rough watching some bowl games.
Irish Stew
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Lb Lamb, cubed
- 1 1/2 Lb Beef, cubed
- 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 Tsp Salt – divided
- 1 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper – divided
- 4 Tbsp Butter – divided
- 4 Tbsp Bacon – drippings
- 1 Large Onion, peeled and chopped
- 4-6 Potatoes – peeled, chopped
- 6 Carrots – washed and chopped
- 3 Parsnips – washed and chopped
- 4 Cups Beef Stock – reduced sodium
- 2 Cups Water
- 12 Oz Guinness Extra Stout Beer
- 4 Sprigs Thyme
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 3 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
Irish Stew is the ultimate comfort food, this traditional recipe for Irish Stew is made with a combination of lamb and beef.
New Year’s Eve and tailgates have a lot in common. So it only makes sense that you look at some tailgating ideas when planning your holiday party. For more ideas, make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and check out our Amazon Storefront. Our team offers a ton of helpful advice, recipes, and product reviews to help you plan any tailgate party.
Have fun at your New Year’s Eve tailgate party and we’ll see you in 2022!