I come from a very athletic, sports-loving family, even though I didn’t inherit the sports gene. When Smirnoff ICE invited me to host a ladies’ tailgate, I leaned into the idea and gave it a pastry-forward twist. In Los Angeles many games start early—brunch is a perfect pregame. Instead of burgers and beer, I served screwdrivers, donuts and cinnamon rolls. Below you’ll find cocktail ideas, a pastry recipe and printable styling tips to help you build your own tailgate brunch. And yes—there’s a donut cornhole game too.
I teamed up with Marissa of Bourbon & Goose to kick things off with two refreshing cocktails: a Smirnoff ICE Screwdriver Mule and a Coco Pom Smirnoff ICE Peach Bellini. Both are easy to make and perfect for a morning gathering.
SCREWDRIVER MULE
Ingredients:
Smirnoff ICE Screwdriver (2 oz. per cocktail)
Ginger beer
3–4 limes
Sweet and sour candy powder (for rimming)
Ice
Method: Pour candy powder onto a small plate. Rub a lime wedge around the rim of your glass and press the rim into the powder until coated. Squeeze a fresh lime wedge into the glass, add 2–3 ice cubes and pour in 2 ounces of Smirnoff ICE Screwdriver. Top with cold ginger beer and stir gently. Candy sticks make a cute garnish and help stir the drink.
COCO POM BELLINI
Ingredients:
Smirnoff ICE Peach Bellini (2 oz. per cocktail)
1 oz. chilled coconut water
Pomegranate soda
Fresh pomegranate seeds for garnish
Method: Add a few pomegranate seeds to a flute or tall glass. Pour in 2 ounces of Smirnoff ICE Peach Bellini and 1 ounce of chilled coconut water. Top slowly with chilled pomegranate soda to preserve the bubbles, and serve immediately.
For the pastry bar I used a playful X, O and arrow motif inspired by football plays as a backdrop, created with washi tape. I swapped traditional tailgate packaging for pastry-friendly versions and served the sweets in concession-style containers:
Cinnamon rolls in mini burger boxes
Twist donuts in hot dog foils
Donut holes in fry cones
Wonuts (waffle-donut hybrids) in snack trays
I printed grid patterns to echo helmet cages and used them for fry cones and snack trays—these printables also work as placemats for a picnic-style brunch.
FRY CONES + SNACK TRAYS
Supplies:
Free printable grid prints (use a local printable source or your own design)
Wax paper
Scissors
Double-stick tape
To make fry cones: print your pattern on 11×17 paper and cut to an 11″ square. Cut the square diagonally to make two triangles. Apply double-stick tape along the edges, place wax paper over the triangle, trim to fit and roll into cones. For snack trays, cut and fold along indicated lines and secure tabs with tape.
THE PERFECT CINNAMON ROLLS
Makes two dozen
Dough
2 packets active dry yeast (each .25 oz)
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 1/2–5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
Filling
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
3 tsp ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
In a stand mixer bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water until foamy. Warm the buttermilk until it is just warm to the touch. Add buttermilk and oil to the yeast mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, sugar, baking soda and cinnamon. Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet until a soft dough forms. Adjust flour as needed so dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead with the mixer for 10 minutes, or by hand for about 15 minutes.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let it rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled, about 30 minutes. Punch down the dough and roll it on a floured surface into a 16×12-inch rectangle. Spread softened butter over the surface, then sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon evenly. Starting from a long edge, roll tightly into a log. Cut into 2-inch slices and place in a greased 9×13-inch pan or in parchment-lined muffin tins. Cover and let rise for about an hour (or refrigerate to rise overnight).
Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake the rolls 20–25 minutes until golden brown. For the frosting, beat butter, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth, add confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice and mix until creamy. Spread frosting over hot rolls and serve warm. For a playful touch at your tailgate, tuck rolls into mini burger boxes.
Finally, a tabletop donut cornhole game is a fun activity for a morning tailgate. Use donut holes as the throwable pieces—it’s simple, playful and perfect for brunch energy.
DIY DONUT CORNHOLE
Supplies:
Tabletop cornhole boards or a shallow board with a hole
Vinyl and craft knife, or paint and brushes
Large paper ice cream cups or bowls
Masking tape
Donut holes for tossing
If using vinyl, lay colored vinyl over the board and carefully cut around the hole and along design lines. Layer white vinyl for the donut base and add vinyl sprinkles or paint them on. If painting, sketch your donut shape, paint the base and frosting, then add sprinkles after the surface dries. Tape a paper cup or bowl under the hole to catch falling donut holes during play.
All photos by Brittany Wood
That wraps up my sugar-filled pregame brunch. For the main event, consider adding savory options like frittatas, quiches and breakfast potatoes to balance the sweetness before kickoff. For now, I’m off to play another round of donut cornhole.
Photography: Brittany Wood
Cocktail recipes: Bourbon & Goose
Cinnamon roll recipe: Brittany Wood
Printable grid patterns: Annie Steward
Styling, DIY projects and creative direction: Studio DIY
This post was created in collaboration with Smirnoff ICE. Please enjoy responsibly.