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AFL Grand Final Recipes to Add to Your Game Day Line-up

Gear up for the AFL Grand Final with a lip-smacking combination of Maple Whiskey Glazed Chicken Wings and Lemon Drop Mojitos from Jarrod the @diycocktailguy and MasterChef star, Justin Narayan. 

Read Time 5 Minutes
By Danni Campagna
afl cocktail

Must-Try Recipes For a Footy Feast This AFL Grand Final

One of the biggest dates on the Aussie sporting calendar is almost here and when it comes to stress-free hosting the biggest thing to remember is prep, prep, prep. 

 

For the ultimate game day line-up, you need tasty, low-maintenance food and easy-to-make drink recipes that are guaranteed crowd pleasers. So, we’ve brought in the big guns to dish up their top tips for hosting mates on AFL Grand Final weekend. 

 

On the menu? Justin Narayan from MasterChef and Jarrod aka @diycocktailguy are serving the premiership-winning combo of Maple Whiskey Glazed Chicken Wings and refreshing Lemon Drop Mojitos to wash them all down. If you’re a fan of a classic gin mojito, you’ll love this cocktail with an extra citrus twist. 

 

So, don your apron and get your muddler at the ready before the first siren sounds!

How to make Maple Whisky Glazed Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

 

Chicken Rub
1 kg chicken wings
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ mustard powder
½ smoked paprika
½ salt
½ black pepper

Bourbon Whiskey Glaze
100ml Bourbon Whiskey — the Wild Turkey Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey works a treat.
100ml maple syrup
50ml apple cider vinegar
50g unsalted butter (melted)
Salt and pepper

Rosemary Thyme Herb Brush
½ bunch rosemary
½ bunch thyme

Lemon Mayo Dip:
200ml canola oil
1 egg yolk
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 lemon (zest and juice)
Salt and pepper


Method: 

  1. Add your spice rub mixture onto your wings in a bowl. 
  2. Add a dash of oil, before tossing the wings to get them fully coated with the spice rub.
  3. Put the wings aside and start making the glaze by adding 100mL maple syrup, 50mL apple cider vinegar, 50g butter and 100mL of the Wild Turkey Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey into a saucepan and simmering.
  4. Start to cook the wings by placing them onto the barbeque. 
  5. Now, it’s time to make the Lemon Mayo Dip. Crack an egg into a container and add the 200mL canola oil, 1 tsp dijon mustard and juice and zest of 1 lemon. Then blend the mixture together with a stick blender.
  6. As the wings are barbecuing away, start to coat each wing with your Maple Whiskey Glaze using your rosemary and thyme herb brush. Continue to glaze as you turn the wings over. Keep the wings on the barbecue until cooked all the way through. 
  7. Plate up and serve away to hungry guests!

How to make Lemon Drop Mojitos

Ingredients: 

(Serves 1)

 

30mL of Dead Man Fingers Lime Rum

15mL of Monin Sugar Syrup.

½ a can of Barry Crushed Lemon

Soda water 

Fresh lemon juice

Mint sprigs



Method: 

 

  1. Grab your highball cocktail glasses and muddle fresh mint sprigs with 30mL lemon juice.
  2. Add plenty of ice into your glass.. 
  3. Pour 30mL of Dead Man Fingers Lime Rum and 15mL of Monin Sugar Syrup.
  4. Stir and top up your glass with half a can of Barry Crushed Lemon and half soda water. 
  5. To finish off  your Lemon Drop Mojito, garnish with fresh mint and dehydrated or fresh lemon wheels.

3 tips for getting AFL game ready

  • The star player

The footy snacks are always going to steal the show with any afternoon gathering and the last thing you want is to still be prepping food as your mates arrive. The Maple Glazed Whisky Wings tick all the right boxes — they’re smokey, salty and sweet, and they’re easy to prepare for the masses. Serve up with footy classics, like sausage rolls and meat pies, and you’ll be on the way to a star-studded snack line-up.

  • The trusty substitutes

When you’ve got groups of mates coming around to watch the game, it always pays to have some back-up drinks waiting in the wings. Play it safe by picking up a few cases of easy-drinking lager or even grab a mixed pack of Barry shochu, vodka and soda cans from star AFL player Bailey Smith to dish out come the third quarter.

  • The sideline saviours

A must-have sideline addition for any footy match is, of course, ice. Make sure you’ve stocked up with plenty of ice ahead of time. You’ll need some buckets to chill tinnies and bottles, but keep some ice free for shaking up cocktails too. Which brings us to the other sideline saviours — a fully stocked cocktail shaker set and garnish station. Guests can shake up their own cocktails during half time with this 4 piece Bar Master Set and these dehydrated wheels from Tipple Topper in salted lime, blood orange and lime chilli pineapple are the perfect finisher for any fancy drink.

Post-game celebrations: kick on the party at these local Melbourne spots

Mountain Goat

As the final siren sounds and the winning team are crowned premiers for another year, it makes sense to continue the celebrations (or commiserations) in Richmond — the heart of the MCG and AFL Grand Final — and Mountain Goat would be top of our list. Started by two mates, Mountain Goat are well-known for their crisp lager, but their pale ale and summer ale are game-day winners too. 

Thunder Road 

A little further north of ‘the G’, you’ll come across Thunder Road Brewery. Showcasing a range of delicious craft beers brewed with Australian hops and located just a short walk from Melbourne’s iconic Lygon Street in Brunswick, swing by the brewhouse for a post-match tasty feed and a refreshing pint!

Whether you’re heading out to local spots before the big game or you’re celebrating at home, this is your sign to mark the end of an action-packed season in style. For more no-fuss tasty finger food recipes to cook up with your wings, check out the pizza cob, sausage rolls and pull-apart tacos that we’ve whipped up here.

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