It’s that time.  You can’t avoid it.  March Madness is finally upon us, and while maybe non-basketball fans will have to eat dinner by themselves simply to avoid bracket-talk, I absolutely love this time of year.  Dicky V, Sir Charles Barkley, and the rest of the college basketball announcers will be up to their usual shenanigans, throwing around words that probably aren’t english (Vitale) or television appropriate (Barkley).  The intensity level is up, and the stars of the college basketball world are all out to try and lead their teams to eternal glory. What better event than the goliath of all college sports to drink for, right?

Lost in all of the glory and excitement of that last paragraph, of course, is our upcoming holiday weekend.  To celebrate the beginning of Spring, we at 4E bring you a Casual Thursday-worthy Easter-themed drink.  Before we get to the Madness that is college basketball, here is a delightful cocktail to enjoy while relaxing.

March Madness Drink-along

And now we get a little crazy.  Obviously, any sporting event can be reason to drink, and you can feel free to improvise and adjust the reasons to imbibe while enjoying the craziness.  Here are some suggestions:

Take a sip if…

• The higher seed wins the game
• There is a Buffalo Wild Wings commercial
• A player’s “athleticism” or “basketball IQ” is mentioned

Take a big swig if…

• The lower seed wins
• A player slaps the floor on defense
• You see a tweet about some “spectacular” play
• Dick Vitale gets really excited (or any of the announcers, I guess)
• An announcer discusses the importance of a coach to the game

Take a shot if…

• The game goes into overtime (you will probably need it)
• Someone gets a technical (if you aren’t a sports fan, you can ask around for when this happens)

Finish your drink/chug if…

• Dicky V gets this excited. Or starts making up words. Or both.
• Charles Barkley says something offensive. Or starts making up words (he probably will)
• Someone hits a buzzer-beater
• Something this entertaining happens

The Easter Bunny:

• 1 1/2 ounces dark creme de cacao
• 1/2 ounce vodka
• 1 tsp. of chocolate syrup
• 1 tsp. of cherry brandy

1. Pour the creme de cacao and vodka into a cocktail shaker (improvise) with ice

2. Shake well

3. Strain into a glass with ice

4. Float chocolate syrup and cherry brandy on top

Enjoy the madness everybody, but please try to do it responsibly. Go Hoyas!