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The Ultimate Tailgate Party Checklist
At Home or the Stadium...

It's that time of year: pre-game shows, stunning plays, cheerleaders, heartbreaking mistakes, play-by-play commentary and halftime extravaganzas...

Here are some ideas for the tailgate parties that football fans love. You can't use the same tips for a sports theme party for the world series in baseball, basketball's March Madness or NFL Playoffs, a tennis or golf tournament, World Cup soccer, rugby, Daytona, the Derby...or any of your favorite sporting events that brings fans out to party.

Tailgate parties traditionally take place in a stadium parking lot, but they're just as much fun at home in front of the TV. The point of it all is to catch the action while you're having a good time with your friends...

So, whether you’re heading to the stadium or cheering with close friends from the comfort of your home, make sure you have the essentials to make the most of the day.

A rule of thumb for tailgate party foods
Keep everything quick, easy and social. “Quick” means finding foods that can be cooked in less than 15 minutes or prepared ahead of time and simply warmed-up, if necessary. When cooking at the game make things “easy” and condense your supplies, cooking utensils and condiments.

Keep foods simple
And, remember that people will be walking around, chatting and hopefully jumping up to celebrate touchdowns – which is not the best environment for foods that require a knife and fork. So, choose “social” foods like sandwiches, bratwurst, Buffalo wings, hamburgers, chicken legs, ribs, or small appetizers like deviled eggs or meatballs. Remember, it’s a tailgate party, so even if the event is in your living room, try to keep in the spirit of the game.

Plan your supplies
Ideally, you should try to keep the amount of supplies you need at a minimum. For tailgating from your vehicle – folding chairs, a small barbecue grill, coals, a radio or portable TV, and a large cooler are essentials. Depending on the type of car, truck or SUV you drive, you may actually have room for a small table and a sunshade or some other means of protecting your party from the elements.

If you are tailgating at home
Make sure you have enough seats to comfortably accommodate all of your guests and that the screen is clearly visible. Also, make certain there is enough table or counter space for all the food and enough space in the refrigerator or cooler for beverages. Most importantly, no matter where you are tailgating, make sure to have plastic forks, paper plates, disposable cups, as well as a couple of large trash bags for clean-up. And if the weather is favorable, a touch football game makes a nice event for pre-game entertainment.

Choosing drinks for a tailgate party,
The safest bet is to grab beverages that will appeal to everybody’s taste. The traditional drink for tailgate parties is obviously beer, but make sure you have sufficient sodas and bottled waters for children or designated drivers.

Another good idea, especially to please the female fans tailgating is to purchase wine. We suggest a wine blend, as they are perfect for social settings and parties and everyone can drink their favorite variety without you having to buy several different bottles.

The Luna di Luna brand of wines offers six different blends in colored bottles: a blue-bottled Chardonnay/Pinot Grigio, a red-bottled Merlot/Cabernet, a purple-bottled Sangiovese/Merlot, a yellow-bottled Pinot Grigio/Pinot Bianco, an orange-bottled Shiraz/Merlot and a green-bottled Chardonnay/Sauvignon. At around $10 a bottle (750-ml), they’re a great value and, best of all, they come in almost any team’s colors. Also ideal for a larger cheering section, Luna di Luna wines are available in 1.5 liter bottles. Just remember the corkscrew.

Now that you have your lists of food, supplies and drinks, just remember to find the time to have fun and actually watch the game. So, when you hear “Are you ready for the game?” you can cheer with confidence.

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