Serves 8
Hands-on: 15 minutes  |  Total 15 minutes

Ale-8-One soda, or simply Ale-8 if you hail from the Bluegrass State, is a true Kentucky classic, created in Winchester, Kentucky, over 90 years ago. It tastes like ginger ale with a burst of citrus. If it’s not available at a store near you, order it online or substitute ginger beer or ginger ale. Don’t assemble this punch until ready to serve—transporting everything in a cooler to your tailgate site—so that it’s fizzy and ice cold upon pouring.

2 lemons, thinly sliced
1 cup loosely packed mint leaves
2 pints lemon sorbet (such as Häagen-Dazs), softened
4 (12-ounce) bottles chilled ginger and citrus-flavored soft drink (such as Ale-8-One) (or 11⁄2 quarts ginger ale or ginger beer)

Muddle 1 lemon slice and 1⁄2 cup of the mint leaves in a large pitcher until the juices release and the mint is fragrant. Add the sorbet and soft drink, stirring until the sorbet is melted and the mixture is combined. Discard the solids. Serve with the remaining lemon slices and mint leaves.

Makes 24 to 26 whoopie pies
Hands-on: 45 minutes  |  Total: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Everybody will love these cute sandwich cookies stuffed with buttercream filling. The cookie dough comes together in a snap, and the cookies bake quickly;just 7 minutes per pan. See the recipe below for a Kentucky-specific variation.

1⁄2 cup (4 ounces) salted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (about 81⁄2 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon table salt
1⁄4 cup whole milk
Whoopie Pie Filling (recipe follows)

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer; beat on medium speed until well blended, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
2. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat on low speed just until blended after each addition.
3. Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, drop the dough about 3 inches apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
4. Bake at 400°F until the cookies are just set and beginning to brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks, and cool the cookies on the baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies from the baking sheets to the wire racks, and cool completely, about 20 minutes.
5. Spread the Whoopie Pie Filling on the flat side of half of the cookies (about 2 tablespoons per cookie). Cover with the remaining half of the cookies, flat side down, and gently press together.

Whoopie Pie Filling [Subrecipe]
Makes about 2 3/4 cups
Hands-on: 10 minutes  |  Total: 10 minutes

This filling gives the Whoopie Pies a wonderfully smooth and creamy texture.

1⁄2 cup (4 ounces) salted butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1⁄2 teaspoon table salt
1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Beat the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy; add the vanilla and salt, and beat until blended. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating on low speed until blended and smooth after each addition. Add the cream, and beat on low speed until smooth.

Wildcat Whoopie Pie [Variation]
Prepare Whoopie Pies as directed through Step 3, sprinkling 1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips evenly over tops of unbaked cookies. Proceed with recipe as directed in Steps 4 and 5. Roll edges of filled cookies in 1 cup finely chopped toasted walnuts.

Gently muddle 1/2 cup blueberries, 1 thyme sprig, and 2 Tbsp. simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice and 1/2 cup crushed ice; shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Strain into a 10-oz. glass filled with crushed ice. Top with a splash of sparkling water or club soda; stir gently. Garnish with blueberries threaded onto a toothpick and a thyme sprig, if desired.

Serves 12
Hands-on: 20 minutes  |  Total: 30 minutes

Kick off the game with a fun appetizer that gets everyone in the spirit. These little bites are loaded with cheese, and the best part—you can customize them to reflect your favorite SEC team. See the recipe below for a Kentucky-specific variation.

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
4 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, grated
1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
12 green jalapeño chiles or mini sweet peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded

Preheat the grill to medium-high (about 450°F). Stir together the cream cheese, Cheddar, scallions, Worcestershire, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture into each jalapeño half. Place the jalapeño halves, cut sides up, on lightly greased grill grates. Grill, covered, until the jalapeños are charred and the cheese is melted, about 8 minutes.

Wildcat Blues [Variation]
Substitute 2 oz. crumbled blue cheese and 2 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese for Cheddar. Prepare recipe as directed. Top poppers evenly with 1/2 cup glazed walnuts.