May Weekend is closer than ever. Bodies are already splayed throughout the quad, and the most wonderful weekend of year is just days away. I can almost taste the tequila shots, beer funnels, and blackouts.
There is no official starting point for May Weekend. You might think it begins Thursday night with the White Panda concert at Toads, but I saw and heard plenty of inebriated people stumbling around York Hill Monday night. This week and weekend is as legendary and challenging for us Bobcats as the Boston Marathon is for serious runners. If you take anything away from this article, let it be this: May Weekend is a marathon, not a sprint.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have been anxiously compiling various cocktail recipes that can be made ahead of time, and in mass quantities. I have searched high and low to cover the most popular hard alcohols.
I recommend a cocktail for your spring festivities because it’s something you can truly control throughout the day. Since most of us will be drinking for 12 hours on average, it’s okay to water down your drinks with mixers. You don’t want to be the one who has to leave the party when it’s not even halfway through!
I never met anything that involved lime juice and salt that I didn’t like, so a classic margarita is my beverage of choice for this weekend. I even stole my mother’s juicer so I could get fresh lime juice without having to squeeze it myself!
Classic Margarita (Yields 1, so you’re going to have to multiply it for yourself!)
2 shots white tequila
1 shot triple sec
1 shot fresh lime ice
1 shot simple syrup
Splash of orange juice
If you don’t know, simple syrup is made with equal parts water and sugar and is boiled until the sugar is dissolved. I recommend you use 1½ cups of each to give you enough syrup to last the weekend. Chill before adding to your cocktail.
Gin Bucket
1.5 L of gin
3 L of Sprite or Fresca
Lemon and lime slices
Add a little lemonade concentrate and you’re good to go!
Caribbean Rum Punch
Splash of lemon juice
2 cups Cruzan light rum
2 liters ginger ale
1 qt. fruit punch
1 qt. orange juice or pineapple juice
Ice cubes
Vodka Madras
2 cups Cranberry juice
2 cups Orange juice
1 cup vodka
Evann Baker’s Liquid Candy
1 cup Arizona Strawberry-Kiwi Ice Tea
1 cup apple juice
1 cup Cotton Candy flavored vodka
And here are some of my favorite’s from the pros!
Paula Deen’s Southern Comfort Punch
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/southern-comfort-punch-recipe/index.html
Emeril Lagasse’s Sangria
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/sangria-recipe4/index.html
-Only needs a few splashes of seltzer, not an entire bottle
Emeril Lagasse’s Sangria Blanco, one of my favorites!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/sangria-blanco-recipe/index.html
Most importantly, please be careful this weekend. Remember to eat solid meals, and drink lots of water. Happy May Weekend from The Room Service!