Gig ‘Em! From the 12th Man to the Midnight Yell, 5 Drinks for Aggies Football Fans
This is part of PubClub.com’s School Spirit(s) series which features drinks based on traditions for college football teams across the country. This installment focuses on the Texas A&M Aggies
By Kevin Wikerson, Editor & Publisher, PubClub.com
Texas A&M has a tradition called the 12th Man. It goes back to the 1920s when a coach called a student out of the stands (well the press box; he knew the person because the student was previously on the team) to the sideline because he was running out of players due to injuries. Later, a coach in the 80s used walk-ons on kickoff coverage. The number 12 jersey is given to an “outstanding” walk-on (non-scholarship) player.
It also has the Midnight Yell, a midnight pep rally before all home games. During games, fans stand up the entire time and are known to create one of the loudest enviroments in college football. Former coach Paul “Bear” Bryant said that one Aggie could yell as loud as 10 regular fans.
The team, tho, continually disappoints its fans. Just when it seems it is about to break through to greatness, it loses. The fans know it’s coming and have what they call the “Battered Aggies Syndrome.” UCLA has the same thing, by the way, called the Battered Bruin Syndrome. Ever heard of it?
So to help navigate these emotional storms, I have five drinks Aggie fans should drink during games. They are based on the traditions and culture of Aggie football.
5 Drinks Aggie Fans Should Drink During Texas A&M Games
To get into the School Spirit(s), here are five drinks for true Aggies fans to drink on gamedays. They can be consumed at the game, while tailgating or at a sports bar with other fans, home or away.
• 12th Man Lager. Texas A&M has its own beer. the 12th Man Lager. The brewer, Karbach, is co-founded by an Aggie alumnus. It is no longer sold in Kyle Field, tho. It’s a very light lager with a 4.0 ABV..
• The Painkiller. This drink, created at the Soggy Dollar Bar in the British Virgin Islands, is a rum-based drink that has different levels from 1-5, depending on how much pain you must kill. Level 1 is for a fumble, a Level 2 is for an interception, Level 3 is for a pick-six, Level 4 is for giving up a long play for a touchdown after finally doing something positive and Level 5 is for losing to, say, Kentucky or Missouri.
• The Battered Aggie Syndrome. This drink is for what Aggies fans know is coming, regardless of how things may appear either before the season or a succession of wins. Doom is coming; it’s expected. So to help deal with it, the Battered Aggie Syndrome is as simple as it is intoxicating: a beer and a shot of tequila. The latter can be drank first, after the beer or dropped into the beer.
• The Midnight Yell. This one celebrates the long-standing tradition of the midnight pep rally held before each home game. It’s a PubClub.com creatio that is bold to enable the vocal chords to be at their maximum strength for the yell. Here’s the recipe:
• 2 oz Texas Bourbon (Like Garrison Brothers or TX Bourbon)
• 1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice (To cut through the heat)
• 0.75 oz Texas Honey Syrup (For the vocal cords before all that yelling)
• 2 dashes of Jalapeño Tincture or Muddled Jalapeño (For that unmistakable Texas kick, even if A&M can’t reliably kick field goals)
• The Presentation: Shaken over ice, strained into a rocks glass, and garnished with a jalapeño coin.
• The Mind Eraser. This shot will help you forget the final score and is particulary recommended if the Aggies lose to Texas.
Kevin Wilkerson is the founder of PubClub.com, an award-winning journalist and nightlife expert who has covered destinations, events and nightlife for more than two decades. While working as a newspaper reporter, he received an Associated Press award for investigative journalism.
Next Stops On The School Spirit(s) Party Bus
• School Spirit(s): The University of Alabama
• School Spirit(s): The University of Tennessee
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