Whether you’re hosting or joining a Super Bowl party this weekend, themed drinks are a fun way to showcase your Broncos pride. But with blue and orange as a theme, that can be a little limiting. That’s why we asked a couple of experts—bar managers Joe Schratz from Punch Bowl Social and Anthony Hinojos at Terminal Bar in Union Station—for drink ideas that will impress any super fan. Here’s what they came up with:


If you want to go out to watch the big game, Punch Bowl Social is offering an “Orange Is the New Blue” punch in honor of the Denver Broncos. The special drink, which will be available until Valentine’s Day, is bourbon-based, mixed with autumn flavors like apple butter and garnished with orange wheels and blueberries. The apple flavor slowly overwhelms the citrus as the bowl sits at your table, but it won’t be around for long—this punch has just the right sweetness to gulp down quickly.

Schratz also recommends a customized lemonade-based recipe you can make at home or order at the bar:

1 ounce lemon juice
1.5 ounces blueberry simple syrup (boil 2 cups water, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup blueberries)
Optional alcohol: 1.5 ounces blood orange vodka (Schratz uses Skyy Vodka)
Top with soda water


Hinojos says his go-to Super Bowl party recipes are light, sessionable drinks that can please a crowd, like the ultra simple combination of a thawed can of limeade concentrate mixed with a 12-pack of Corona or the slightly more complex concoction he likes to make for watching the game with family and friends:

Broncos Punch
The night before (if possible), combine the zest from a whole lime and a whole orange with about a quart of sugar and let it sit.

Bottle of blanco tequila (Hinojos likes Casa Noble)
1 quart of lemon juice
½ quart grapefruit juice
? bottle of St. Germain
Rim glasses with pre-made citrus sugar (can also add to punch to taste)
Garnish with slices of orange


But if somebody comes into Terminal Bar asking for a Broncos-themed drink, Hinojos recommends they “stick with a classic that has been around for 100 years,” and make a modified sour:

The Denver Collins
¾ ounce lemon juice
¾ ounce simple syrup (make your own by boiling 1:1 sugar to water)
½ ounce blue curacao
Add gin, vodka or tequila
Top with soda water and garnish with an orange wedge

The biggest commitment for an at-home mixologist with this one is the curacao, a bright blue liqueur that’s not commonly found in home bars. Curacao is flavored with Valencia oranges, which means this sneaky cocktail not only has the right look, it has the power of suggestion when you take a sip of blue and taste orange. Go Broncos!

(Check out more Super Bowl coverage from 5280)