Football season is officially in full swing, and across the country, that means one thing: tailgating is sacred. Once the weather cools, the harvest hits, and kickoff arrives, it’s time to gather your people, fire up the grill (or the paella pan), and put on a spread that stops traffic in the parking lot.
This year, we’re going big with a Spanish-inspired tailgate menu anchored by the ultimate crowd-pleaser: Paella Mixta, cooked live for maximum flavor and full-on theatre. Add in a few elevated small bites and cocktails built with Origen Holistic Vodka and Harmony Holistic Gin, and you’ve got a tailgate that eats like an event.
Let’s get into it.
The Main Event: Paella Valenciana Mixta
Paella is pure performance. I love it not only because of my northern Spanish roots (Basque, Galicia, Asturias), but because it's the kind of dish that pulls a crowd before anyone takes a single bite. Think of it as the game before the game.
Paella originated in Valencia, home to citrus groves, Mediterranean breezes, and — most importantly — bomba rice. Bomba is essential: it absorbs liquid without turning creamy like Arborio. Paella should have texture, defined grains, and that coveted crispy layer at the bottom called "socarrat." If your local shops don’t carry bomba, Amazon will.
Originally, paella was a farmworker meal - whatever protein hopped, flew, or slithered by might end up in the pan. Chicken, rabbit, snails, frogs, and even snakes. Seafood didn’t join the party until the dish made its way toward the coast. That’s how Paella Mixta (meat + seafood) was born.
Paella pans come in all sizes. My favorite is 26", which feeds 25–30 people, perfect for a tailgate spread with plenty of drinks.
Heat sources vary - wood fire, BBQ grill, turkey fryer stand, stovetop, propane paella burner, and they all work as long as you manage the temperature well and chase the socarrat at the end.
Below is the full recipe for a tailgate-ready, crowd-sized Paella Mixta.
Paella Mixta Recipe (Serves a Crowd)
Ingredients
Proteins & Base
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 6 small chorizo sausages (or Merguez, Andouille, Tasso), sliced or rough-chopped
- 1 large Spanish onion, diced
- 6–8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Vegetables & Flavor Base
- 1 roasted/charred poblano pepper, peeled
- 1 jar marinated roasted red pimento peppers, diced
- 1 bottle Passata (Italian tomato purée, not pasta sauce) or 1 can diced tomatoes
Seafood
- 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails on recommended)
- 1 lb mussels, cleaned and de-bearded
Liquid & Seasoning
- 4 cups chicken or seafood stock
- 1–2 bottles of clam juice
- 12–15 saffron threads
- 1 tbsp Spanish smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper
Rice & Vegetables
- 2.2 lbs (1 kg) bomba rice
- 1 cup frozen peas
Garnish
- 12 clams
- 1 can/jar artichoke hearts, halves
- 1 jar of whole marinated asparagus
- 4 lemons, quartered lengthwise
- Optional: green onions, hard-boiled eggs, white or green beans
Instructions
- Brown the chicken: Heat olive oil in a large paella pan. Brown chicken thighs on all sides. Remove and set aside.
- Build the sofrito: Add chorizo and let it sweat. Add garlic and onion; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in Passata or diced tomatoes and simmer.
- Add seafood (round one): Add shrimp and mussels to the pan. Cook 5 minutes over medium-low. Remove and reserve.
- Infuse the saffron: Soak saffron threads in 1 cup warm stock for 10 minutes.
- Add rice and vegetables: Stir bomba rice evenly into the sofrito. Add peas, pimentos, and poblano. Add saffron liquid. Mix gently.
- Add chicken and simmer: Nestle chicken thighs into the pan. Add stock and clam juice until the rice is just covered. Season with paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook on medium-low for about 20 minutes.
- Finish with seafood and socarrat: Return shrimp and mussels. Add beans if using. Raise the heat for 10–15 minutes to toast the rice on the bottom. Shake and rotate the pan (do not stir) to develop socarrat.
- Garnish and serve: Top with asparagus, artichokes, clams, lemon wedges, and green onions or eggs. Serve straight from the pan.
Small Bites for Big Crowds
Origen Poached Pear, Gorgonzola & Endive Pistachio Bites
A little fancy for a tailgate, but incredibly good and easy if you prep the pears the day before.
Ingredients
Produce & Cheese
- 3 Belgian endives
- 3 Anjou or Bosc pears
- 1/4 lb Gorgonzola or soft blue cheese
- 12 pistachios, lightly smashed
Poaching Liquid
- 2 cups water
- 2/3–1 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup Harmony Gin
- Aromatics: cinnamon sticks, orange zest, star anise
Instructions
- Peel pears and keep in lemon water. Slice as desired.
- Simmer water, brown sugar, and aromatics to make the poaching liquid.
- Add pears and cook 20–40 minutes until tender.
- Remove from heat and stir in Harmony Gin.
- Cool pears in liquid overnight.
- Reduce remaining liquid until syrupy.
- Assemble endive cups with pear, Gorgonzola, pistachios, and syrup.
Tortilla Española
The Basque classic - hearty, custardy, and perfect at room temp. Ideal for tailgating.
Ingredients
- 12 eggs
- 1 lb potatoes, sliced
- 2 Spanish onions
- 1 jar roasted pimientos
- 3 oz Serrano ham (optional)
- 2 tbsp parsley
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Optional: garlic bacalao, plantain chips
Instructions
- Cook potatoes gently in 1/2 cup oil until tender.
- Caramelize onions in 2 tbsp oil.
- Whisk eggs; add onions, peppers, ham, potatoes, and parsley.
- Cook mixture on low until mostly set.
- Flip using a plate; cook the other side.
- Cool and slice.
Bacalao / Brandade de Morue
A silky, rich salt cod and potato spread that pairs perfectly with bread or plantain chips.
Ingredients
Base
- 1 lb salt cod
- 1 lb Idaho potatoes
- 1 onion
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 cups milk
- Thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, allspice, clove
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Gremolata
- Lemon zest
- Parsley
- Garlic
Instructions
- Soak cod 24–36 hours, changing water 2–3 times.
- Poach cod in milk with aromatics for 10–12 minutes.
- Boil potatoes and garlic until tender.
- Mash cod, potatoes, and garlic; add milk and olive oil to the desired consistency.
- Mix the gremolata ingredients.
- Serve with a baguette or plantain chips.
Something Sweet: Banana Bread Pudding with Origen Vodka Brown Butter Caramel
Ingredients
For the Bread Pudding
- 454 g challah or brioche bread (16 oz; about 1 loaf), cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 1/2 cups (355 ml) whole milk
- 1 cup (7 1/2 oz; 216 g) heavy whipping cream
- 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 226 g light brown sugar (about 8 oz; 1 packed cup plus 2 packed tbsp), divided
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (for table salt, use half as much by volume)
- 680 g (1 1/2 lb) very ripe bananas (about 4 or 5), mashed
- 126 g (4 1/2 oz; about 1 cup) chopped pecans, toasted (optional)
- Cooking spray
For the Brown Butter Caramel Sauce
- 85 g unsalted butter (3 oz; 6 tbsp)
- 198 g (7 oz; 1 cup) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream, at room temperature
- 1.5 oz Origen Holistic Vodka
- 1/4 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (for table salt, use half as much by volume)
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to the middle position. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring and rotating the sheet halfway through, until the bread is fully dry, about 10 minutes. Allow bread to cool about 10 minutes.
- Slice into cubes (if needed) and dress with Origen banana caramel.
(You can complete the custard and baking steps as you normally would for a classic bread pudding.)
Tailgate Cocktails with Origen & Harmony
These cocktails play beautifully with fall flavors, botanicals, and cider. Easy to mix in the parking lot or batch ahead.
Spanish Gin & Tonic
All throughout Spain, and particularly in the Basque Country, it’s common to see Gin & Tonics garnished with all manner of ingredients and combinations. The key is considering every component of the drink to ensure they work in harmony - no pun intended. When choosing your garnish, you can elect to highlight the flavors already in the gin or add flavors that are absent from the gin. The same rule applies to the tonic water. Not every tonic is the same, as the quinine-and-botanical-laced beverage varies in sweetness, bitterness, and herbal notes. So, your garnish should also work in concert with your tonic.
Ingredients
- 2 oz Harmony Gin
- Dash bitters
- Dash of agave or simple syrup
- 3 oz elderflower tonic
- Garnish: lemon twist, mint, dried roses
Recipe
Build in a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish generously.
The Hail Mary
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Origen Vodka
- 0.5 oz Licor 43
- 0.5 oz simple syrup
- Pumpkin or apple pie spice
- Dark malt beer
- Apple slice
Recipe
Shake vodka, Licor 43, syrup, and spice with ice. Strain into a pilsner with ice. Top with beer. Garnish.
Fallen Apple Fizz
Ingredients
- 2 oz Harmony Gin
- Dash Angostura bitters
- Splash Green Chartreuse
- 3 oz sparkling apple cider
- Sage and nutmeg for garnish
Recipe
Build in a highball with ice. Top with cider. Garnish with sage and nutmeg.
What a Pear!
Ingredients
- 1/4 pear
- 2 lemon wedges
- 1/2 oz maple syrup
- 2.5 oz Harmony Gin or Origen Vodka
- Garnish: cinnamon stick or pear slice
Recipe
Muddle pear, lemon, and maple syrup. Add spirit and ice. Shake. Double strain into a coupe. Garnish.
Adirondack Shrub
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz whiskey
- 1/2 oz apple cider
- 1/2 oz apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 oz spiced syrup
- 3 oz club soda
- Garnish: orange zest, nutmeg
Recipe
Shake all ingredients except soda with ice. Strain into a highball with ice. Top with soda and garnish.
Tailgating should feel like a celebration - loud, flavorful, and full of personality. This Spanish-inspired spread brings the best fall ingredients together with the bright botanicals of Harmony Holistic Gin and the clean, mindful character of Origen Holistic Vodka. Whether you’re stirring a massive paella or mixing cocktails out of a cooler, this menu turns your tailgate into an experience.
Pack the pan, chill the drinks, and let’s make this one for the highlight reel.
Cheers,
Fernando Saralegui, HSCo. Culinary Director
