Skip to main content

Shake, Stir, and Swish: Championship-Worthy Final Four Cocktails

Just as with every year, March Madness has been filled with twists and turns, buzzer beaters and heartbreak. If you’re one of the few whose bracket isn’t busted, you’re probably feeling pret-ty good right about now. If you’re one of the thousands that didn’t see South Carolina taking down the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th seeds, well, we feel ya. Really. You’re in the right place, though.

In order to celebrate the Final Four (or salve the wounds of a broken bracket), we’ve put together some final four cocktails to mix up this weekend for what’s likely to be an exciting set of games.

New Amsterdam Russian Coffee

NEW-AMSTERDAM_WHITE-RUSSIAN_252-FINAL-Credit-Jason-Varney-crop
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Recommended Videos

Method: Stir vodka, coffee, and Triple Sec in a rocks glass with ice. Top with milk.

The Three Pointer

The-Three-Pointer Cocktail
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Method: Combine ingredients over ice, garnish with chili.

Svedka’s Buzzer Beater

Svedka-13_Seven_Wonders_Silo
Image used with permission by copyright holder

 Method: Pour ingredients into a pitcher, and stir. Garnish with orange and grapefruit slices. 

Nolet’s Silver Players Punch

Player's-Punch-Edit
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Method: Combine first 4 ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker.  Shake vigorously.  Pour (do not strain) all contents into a rocks glass.  Top with Soda Water. Add extra ice if needed. Garnish with 2 raspberries.

And one more, because who doesn’t like an extra cocktail?

3 Pointer Punch

Jagermule-Punch-w.-Cocktails-Crop
(Created by Flinn Pomroy, Sweetwater Social, NYC)

  • 125 oz Jagermeister
  • 5 oz Fresh Lime Juice
  • 5 oz Ginger Syrup
  • 35 oz Bigelow Orange & Spice Tea
  • 60 oz Soda Water (add to taste)
  • 2 whole oranges sliced into very thin discs.

Method: Combine Jägermeister, Lime Juice, and Ginger Syrup to punch bowl. Bring 5 cups of water to a boil and add 5 tea bags of Bigelow Orange & Spice. Remove water from heat and allow to steep for 6 minutes (You will have more tea brewed than you are actually going to use.) Add 35oz of Bigelow Orange and Spice tea to the punch bowl. Stir punch vigorously. Add soda to taste. Top entire punch with sliced orange discs. Serve over ice in traditional Mule Tins or in another receptacle of your choosing. Garnish with your teams assigned garnish – and enjoy responsibly.

Sam Slaughter
Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…
Looking for a perfect sear on your steak? This surprising pantry item is the secret
The secret is already in your pantry
Grilled juicy marinated angus beef flank steak on wooden board. Finished juicy medium rare meat is resting before it is cut and sliced.

We already know that there are countless ways to cook a great steak. Whether you prefer the grill, a good old-fashioned cast-iron pan, or your beloved broiler, if you know what you're doing, you'll end up with a delicious meal. But if you've ever felt like your steak could use a bit more in the way of a perfectly crisp, deeply golden, ultra-crispy crust, the answer is probably already sitting in your pantry right now: cornstarch.

Why it works

Read more
How this 100-year-old syrup brand continues to revolutionize the coffee industry
The story behind your favorite coffee syrups
Torani syrup bottles

Recognized for its colorful, nostalgic glass bottles found in thousands of cafes around the world, global flavor company Torani has a rich history that dates back 100 years. Maintaining its reputation in the beverage industry means staying ahead of changing coffee trends and developing new flavors to meet consumer needs. For a look inside the history behind this 100-year-old syrup brand, I chatted with Andrea Ramirez, Consumer and Customer Insights Manager at Torani. Ramirez is directly involved in brand development and product innovation for the brand.
As Torani’s seasoned flavor expert and trend guru, she leads her team in tracking trends from various spaces, from grocery store shelves to fine dining menus, and everywhere in between. Here's what she shared about how the brand has revolutionized the flavored syrup industry over the last century.
Torani's innovative approach

As a brand, Torani has remained relevant for 100 years and counting by staying deeply attuned to consumer behavior and evolving taste preferences. "We leverage a mix of proprietary insights and industry data to identify emerging trends and shifts in how people enjoy beverages. One of the clearest patterns we've seen over time is the growing desire for personalization — consumers increasingly want the freedom to craft drinks that suit their tastes."

Read more
Myths busted: Why rinsing your beer glass matters more than you think
Beer glass rinsing 101
beer

Myths run riot in the land of drinks and we're on a mission to dispel them. Just ask the chill-able red wine or age-worthy beer. There are rules in beer, cocktail, and wine culture, sure, but there are also misconceptions and unknowns very much worth figuring out.

You know the sayings: Rum is only for tiki drinks, mezcal is just a smoky version of tequila, or you can't make a good non-alcoholic beer. We know these things to be untrue as we've tasted the evidence.

Read more