Does Cincinnati have the most-committed fans in the NFL, or are we just suckers for anything inspired by Cincinnati chili? After the Cincinnati Bengals-inspired mimosa from champagne brand André won a recent contest, we have to say it’s probably both.
In November, André, in honor of its first season and the Official Sparkling Wine Sponsor of the NFL, launched the “André Tailgate Team-Mosa,” 32 over-the-top mimosa recipes based on each team in the league.
What resulted from this culinary brainstorm was the “Chili3WayMosa,” a chaotic name for a chaotic drink that blends champagne, cooked pasta water, chili, cinnamon and cheddar. To up the ante, Andre turned their concoctions into a competition, asking NFL fans to vote for their favorite Team-Mosa. From Nov. 20 to Dec. 1, fans voted and Bengals fans rallied like a Burrow throw to Chase and earned us first place in the competition. Because if we can’t be first in the AFC North, at least we can be first at this.
“NFL fans have never been afraid to push the limits of fandom, and Team-Mosas let them pour that energy into the wildest mimosas imaginable,” Beth Orozco, vice president of marketing at Gallo, André’s parent company, said in a press release. “Cincinnati die-hards proved they’re all-in, rallying behind the Chili3WayMosa, a recipe as uniquely Cincinnati as it gets.”
Rounding out the top five spots in the mimosa contest are Detroit (ConeyDogMosa), Pittsburgh (PickleMosa), Philadelphia (WooderIceMosa) and Buffalo (BuffaloSauceMosa).
As part of earning first place, André will bring the Chili3WayMosa to life. The brand’s Winemaking Team says it will “noodle” around with the recipe to figure out the best way to produce it for future football seasons, including deciding if it will be bottled or canned.
In the meantime, if you want to try your own Chili3WayMosa, the recipe’s ratio is 1/2 André, 1/4 cooked pasta water, 1/8 cinnamon and 1/8 chili powder. Finish it off by doing a shredded cheddar rim.
