EPL Is Back: The Only Drinks Guide Your Premier League Season-Opener Watch Party Needs
Nigeria football fans, are you ready? EPL is here again, and you know the season opener is a serious matter. From Surulere viewing centres to Lekki rooftop watch parties, the vibe isn’t complete without the right drinks. This is a guide to help you pick the perfect lineup of drinks, just like your favourite manager who knows how to select the best squad.
You know how it goes. The World Cup just finished; the Super Eagles either broke your heart or made your year, and now, before you've even fully recovered, the Premier League is here, August 21st, Arsenal defending champions set to host newly promoted Coventry City at the The Emirates on a Friday night opener at 8pm BST, followed by a full weekend of football that runs straight through to Monday. Two London derbies. Man United hosting Hull City. Newcastle facing Liverpool on Sunday. The whole madness starting all over again.
This is not the kind of weekend you spend watching alone with a bottle of Coke and a bowl of groundnuts. This is a gathering. And gatherings, proper ones, Arsenal opening day drinks sorted before the first whistle.
Here is exactly what to stock;
The Friday Night Opener: Arsenal vs Coventry City
Friday night football hits different. The week is over, people are arriving in ones and twos, the screen is on, and the energy is building slowly toward kickoff. Arsenal enter as defending Premier League champions, with Enzo Maresca's Manchester City and Andoni Iraola's Liverpool as the title favourites breathing down their necks. The opener carries weight.
What to pour: This is a sipping night, not a shots night yet. Start with something smooth that lets people settle in. Johnnie Walker Double Black works beautifully here. Complex enough to hold attention during the pre-match analysis, easy enough that nobody is still figuring out their glass when kickoff arrives.
For the non-drinkers, and there are always non-drinkers, Crodino Rosso over ice is the aperitif that makes everyone feel catered for. It looks premium. It tastes premium. Nobody feels like an afterthought.
Backup option: A chilled bottle of Casamigos Blanco for those who want the Friday feeling without committing to a full whisky night.
Saturday Madness: Five Fixtures, One Afternoon
Saturday 22 August brings Hull City vs Manchester United at 12:30pm BST, followed by Everton vs Crystal Palace, Ipswich vs Sunderland, Nottingham Forest vs Leeds at 3:00pm BST, and Brentford vs Tottenham at 5:30pm BST. Five matches. Two big ones. One afternoon that will run your watch party from lunch straight into the evening.
High-volume afternoon. Multiple screens if you have them. People coming and going. This is where you need drinks that are social, flexible, and don't require a bartender to manage.
What to stock:
Olmeca Tequila — Gold for the crowd that wants shots when United score, Silver for mixing into quick cocktails during the breaks. Have salt and lime ready. You'll need them.
Peroni Nastro Azzurro — ice cold, minimal effort, universally loved. Stock more than you think you'll need. Saturday afternoon football and cold lager is a combination that has never once disappointed anyone.
Coppa Cocktail RTDs — the Espresso Martini and the Passion Fruit are the ones to have ready. Pour over ice, hand to a guest, done. No shaker, no mess, no queue at the kitchen counter while Brentford are attacking Tottenham's box.
For non-drinkers: Fever Tree Ginger Beer and Fentimans Rose Lemonade both premium enough to feel intentional, both interesting enough that your non-drinking guests aren't staring at a can of 7Up.
The Sunday Headliner: Newcastle vs Liverpool
Sunday 23 August brings Brighton vs Aston Villa and Manchester City vs Bournemouth at 14:00, before the day's main event. Newcastle United vs Liverpool at 16:30 BST. This is the fixture that will have the loudest room of the weekend wherever it's being watched in Nigeria.
Newcastle vs Liverpool on opening day is the kind of match that deserves a proper drink. Not shots you're three days into a ten-month season, and pace matters, but something deliberate.
What to pour:
Glenfiddich 15 Year Old — this is when the good bottle comes out. The match has earned it. Pour it neat or with a single large ice cube, and whoever's holding a glass of Glenfiddich 15 while Newcastle and Liverpool fight for three points on the opening weekend of the season is having a very good Sunday indeed.
Jameson Triple Triple — for the guests who want Irish smooth rather than Scotch complexity. Same quality level, different character. Both work beautifully for a big Sunday match.
Bacardi Mojito RTD — for the guests who want something lighter and festive without putting in cocktail effort on a Sunday afternoon. Cold, minty, and genuinely enjoyable.
Monday Night Football: Fulham vs Chelsea
The opening weekend closes on Monday 24 August with Fulham vs Chelsea at 20:00 BST, a London derby to end the first week of the Premier League season.
By Monday night, your core crowd has narrowed to the committed ones. The people still there are the ones who were always going to be there. This is a smaller, more relaxed gathering; the conversation is as important as the match.
What to pour:
Tails Cocktail Raspberry Cosmopolitan or Tails Cocktail Passion Fruit Martini — premium RTDs for a Monday evening that has earned something elegant. Cold, sophisticated, no effort.
The Glenlivet White Oak Reserve — smooth, honeyed, easy. Monday night football calls for a whisky that doesn't demand concentration. The Glenlivet White Oak delivers complexity without requiring the drinker to work for it.
San Pellegrino Aranciata Rossa — for the non-drinkers rounding out a weekend of watch parties. Blood orange Italian sparkling. Nobody has ever been handed a San Pellegrino Aranciata Rossa and felt like an afterthought.
Where to Get Everything Before August 21st?
Every drink in this guide is available at BottleKing, it is one of the most complete drinks destinations, with nationwide delivery and 100% authentic bottles. Order before the weekend. Don't be the host who had to improvise with whatever was left at the nearest shop on Friday afternoon.
The EPL season is ten months long. Start it properly.
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