When tailgating season rolls around, we can't help but think: Fun drinks. Sure, it would be easiest to just pop open a beer. But the thing that makes a tailgate memorable — besides the wonderful company of course — is when someone is just a little extra about it. And that means going the extra mile; but in our case, we won't make you go quite that far. These cocktails are pretty quick and easy to pull together and batch well, so that all you have to do upon arrival is pour and enjoy. Save the beer for later; for now, just survey your scene, take a sip and take it all in.

Okay, yes, these require a bit more work, particularly if you want to have all the colors and flavors available — but, look at them. You can't beat their specialness for a party, and you also can't top the very fun subversiveness of spiking those pouch drinks of our youth. Yes, you get to stab them with a straw. Come ON!

Beer and tomato juice combine to form a sip that's so much more than a sum of its parts. You'll have to hold back from gulping this down quickly, because it is that delicious. We love the glass rimming, but you can also streamline and rim with salt or Tajin or nothing at all.

It doesn't get much simpler than vodka plus lemonade, but for exactly that reason, this drink has tons of appeal. It's a cinch for the tailgate bartender, and it also pleases a wide variety of drinkers. Pack some seltzers to cut the strength for anyone who might want it.

What happens when you trade the lime juice in a Moscow Mule with cranberry juice? You get a sweet-tart mule that looks gorgeous and feels very seasonal. Fresh cranberries on cocktail picks are not musts, but are also easy enough to skewer at home and surprise everyone with on the spot.

We love a hurricane, fruity and rum-spiked. Even if they're not served in tall, frosty hurricane glasses, they are refreshing and go well with salty apps. Though there's usual a tropical fruit juice involved, these are streamlined, with easy-to-find orange juice (squeeze your own for extra specialness), but they're no less exciting to drink.

This one seems as it would be as at-home at a tailgate as at book club! (What, your book club isn't rosé-obsessed?) Rosé combines with watermelon juice, lime juice and blood orange soda for a sip that's brunchy, light and super refreshing.

Here, you have the spirit of a Negroni, that Italianate Campari-based cocktail, but imagined in a new light. Swapping out the Campari and usual sweet vermouth for Lillet Blanc and Cocchi Americano Blanco lightens the whole drink. We love a rosemary sprig for garnish, so just pack them in a plastic bag to garnish in situ.

You don't have to invite us twice for a Bloody Mary. There's just something about that tomatoey spiciness-plus-booze that says game/weekend relaxation. We know garnishes have gotten crazy in recent years, but it's completely fine to remember its roots and just stick with the classic celery stalk.

Why should pre-bottled versions of spiked teas have all the fun? Here, Katie Lee Biegel reimagines Southern-style sweet tea as a very adult drink. The flavor of the vodka recedes behind the fresh mint and lemon, but it still packs a punch!

We are so lucky to live in an age when fresh pomegranate juice is available everywhere, since its complex notes, almost as rich as a glass of red wine, contribute so much to any drink. Combine with tequila plus lemon juice to brighten everything up, then top with arils and mint for the most refreshing beverage we can think of. It's totally fine to leave the seltzer for topping at the last minute.

The usual Old Fashioned, a classic of all classics, contains whiskey, bitters and either an orange twist or cherry for garnish. But one of the things that has earned this cocktail its status is how endlessly riffable it is. Here, it takes a Mexican turn, with tequila and agave syrup, along with some mole bitters to stay on-brand. The result is surprising and very smooth.

Grapefruit and elderflower take center stage in this refreshing cocktail, but bourbon is there to underline it with some edge. The result tastes complex and grownup. Let drinkers top off with their own soda water, to tailor the strength to their wishes.

Despite its name, Long Island iced tea contains no tea. Instead, it likely takes its name from its hue, which comes from the inclusion of cola. The same is true for this one, which gets an unusual inclusion of grapefruit juice, to make it very bracing and delicious.