Today the Michigan Wolverines face off for the 115th time against the Ohio State Buckeyes in The Game. This is always a high stakes event, even when it isn’t from the perspective of the rest of the college football world, but this year a lot is on the line as both teams are 10-1 and the winner goes on to play for the Big Ten championship. I’m a lifelong Michigan fan, and this year I decided to apply my passion for cocktails to this annual event and am pleased to bring you cocktails for The Game, named in honor of the teams’ head coaches: The Gin Harbaugh and the Bourbon Meyer.
Since I live in D.C., which is now Big Ten country thanks to Jim Delaney, the league Commissioner and the mastermind of Big Ten expansion to College Park, I wanted to add a little D.C. flavor to these drinks and began with the idea of using gin and citrus in one drink and bourbon and citrus in the other, inspired by the rickey.
I like the tangy flavor that lemon juice brings to a drink, but for the Gin Harbaugh I also wanted a drink that packs more punch in its flavor so it leaves a bit of a mark on you after each sip. Enter Ancho Reyes Verde, the somewhat spicy poblano liqueur, which adds some depth of flavor and provides a spicy aftertaste. I balanced it out with a little simple syrup and topped off the drink with soda water. Add a lemon peel garnish shaped like the Michigan helmet and you’re good to go:
For the Bourbon Meyer I also began with lemon juice. I wanted to make sure this drink had an unmistakable Ohio State red color, so Campari was next. With equal measures of bourbon and Campari, the drink has the stems of a Boulevardier, but the lemon juice takes it in a slightly different direction. To round it out, I finished it off with some Cherry Heering. Then I found the loudest rocks glass I have in an homage to the UNIFORMZ that Ohio State tends to wear for The Game. Last, I garnished with a star anise, which assaults the nose a bit (but in a good way) with each sip and vaguely evokes some kind of hybrid of the buckeye nut and leaf:
Put a few of these together and you’ll be ready for whatever happens in this year’s iteration of The Game. (But Go Blue!) Here are the recipes:
Gin Harbaugh
Ingredients
- 1 oz. gin I used Botanist
- 3/4 oz. Ancho Reyes Verde
- 3/4 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 oz. simple syrup
- soda water
- 1 lemon peel
Instructions
- Combine the gin, Ancho Reyes Verde, lemon juice and simple syrup in a mixing glass with ice and stir.
- Strain into a highball glass with ice and top off with soda water.
- Garnish with a lemon peel carved to look like the Michigan winged helmet.
Bourbon Meyer
Ingredients
- 1 oz. bourbon
- 1 oz. Campari
- 1/2 oz. Cherry Heering
- 1/2 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 star anise
Instructions
- Combine the bourbon, Campari, Cherry Heering and lemon juice in a mixing glass with ice and stir.
- Strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube.
- Garnish by placing one star anise on top of the ice cube.