Super Bowl XLIII is coming February 1st and we honestly can’t wait. Our weekly poker game - me and a bunch of friends - is dotted with nothing but conversations about it.

My buddy Jared, who owns a movie blog, is busy dreaming up all the new trailers premiering during the TV coverage (he says the latest Transformers clip will show there, among a host of others). Rob, our resident compulsive gambler, has money on almost every betting angle you can get online and has mouthfuls to say about each one. Donnie and me, however, just busy ourselves thinking up crazy drinks to make for our small Super Bowl party. I’m thinking of having a barbecue at the backyard and bringing out the big screen - with some good drinks in tow, like we did last year.

Want to know what we went drinking during last year’s Super Bowl party? I was in my Tabasco phase at the time and, as such, mixed up a lot of drinks with a few drops of the sizzling spice. A couple of the ones I loved were:

Spicy Melon Cooler

This is just a typical melon drink with a dash of pepper sauce and some alcohol. To make it, simply put a tablespoon of lime juice, two honeydew melon chunks, a little water (measure to your preferences), a tablespoon of Tabasco (the green one) and two ounces of vodka in a blender. Make sure to chill before serving or top up with ice. Refreshing and warming on the mouth, it will drive you crazy. Put in some sugar as well, if you prefer more sweetness to the mix.

A second variation we’d tried during the party was using dark rum instead of vodka and adding an ounce and a half of cranberry juice. It’s actually better but I thought we’d feature the original drink first.

Knockout Punch

We never really thought much of this but made it since it looked like a good Tabasco recipe. It turned out to be a pretty decent hit. To make it, combine two ounces of Jamaican rum, one ounce of fresh lime juice, two ounces of orange juice and one teaspoon of the original red Tabasco pepper sauce in a tall glass. Add one teaspoon of grenadine and top it up with soda water. Serve with an orange slice and lots of ice.