The Chattanooga Red Wolves bring new meaning to team spirit with themed cocktail parties during home games at CHI Memorial Stadium.
Last season, Red Wolves became known in their league, United Soccer League (USL) League One, as ‘Cardiac Red Wolves’ for ‘giving our fans heart attacks’ after the team scored five or six goals in the last two to five minutes. multiple games,” says Carlos Latapi, creative director of social media and marketing for Chattanooga Red Wolves Soccer Club.
Latapi was inspired by the spike lemonade packets sold at an auto race he attended in Nashville and wanted to create something similar to sell at the Red Wolves games. He asked fans on Twitter to vote on a name for the team’s signature drink – the same way fans voted to name the team after the endangered canine species benefiting from the efforts of local conservation.
“Cardiac Punch” was the big winner, and the stadium catering team set out to create a drink worthy of its soulful name. The result was a vodka-based fruit punch in an appropriate shade of red, sold in a pouch with a straw, similar to a grown-up Capri Sun. As one of the team’s secret weapons, we unfortunately cannot reveal the recipe here.
“It’s a great seller, and it’s something that sets us apart since no one else has it,” says Caroline McWhorter, president of Stadium Development Company, of the signing sipper.
As well as the ‘Cardiac Punch’, fans can have a little more fun with their matchday drink orders by imbibing one of the stadium’s ‘mocktails’ – not to be confused with non-standard versions. alcoholic cocktails, but rather drinks created for every home game to poke fun at the opposing team. For example, the “One-Legged Bird” was offered in the game against Forward Madison FC Flamingos.
“We have that for every game,” McWhorter says. “There’s so much creativity here, and we sit and brainstorm and come up with all kinds of things.”
