It's Super Bowl time, folks. As we head into the 50th annual celebration of gridiron greatness, there's one thing everyone can get excited about: it's a great excuse to drink. And while beer may be king when it comes to football, there's no reason we can't spice up your party with some signature cocktails for each team.

Carolina

Anyone who isn't impressed (and at least a little bit surprised) by the Carolina Panthers' 2015-2016 season clearly hasn't been paying enough attention. A few months ago we would've thought that if they made it this far they'd be the obvious underdogs, but after some dominant performances in the playoffs they may well be the favorites.

For your Super Bowl drink menu, we suggest showing some feline pride with the Black Cat cocktail, a tall, refreshing vodka drink made with kirschwasser (a German cherry brandy), cranberry juice, and cola. It's incredibly easy to make, and if the name isn't enough to sell you on its Carolinian allegiance, just imagine sipping one on on a hot summer day in Raleigh.

Denver

If the Broncos have reminded us of one thing this year, it's that you can never write off Peyton Manning in the playoffs. With an insanely close win over the Patriots to clinch their Super Bowl berth, this should be a hell of an interesting game—two great QBs and two great defenses going head-to-head for the first time all year.

In honor of Denver's tenacity and defensive grit, we're going with the Colorado Bulldog cocktail for Super Bowl 50. It's basically just a classic White Russian—vodka, Kahlúa, and cream—with a splash of cola added in, but it's absolutely delicious and should do the mile-high city proud. Plus, it's not too spirit-forward, so having a few during the game won't knock you out of commission.

San Francisco

For those of us who live in San Francisco, this year's Super Bowl is proving to be a bit more of a hassle than we were expecting. For one, the game itself is actually being played in the city of Santa Clara, which sits more than an hour drive south of the city.

Nonetheless, "Super Bowl City," the promotional hub for the whole event, was plopped unceremoniously in the middle of downtown San Francisco. Main streets are closed to traffic, bus lines have had to shuffle around, and for many people, walking into the office in the morning now involves a pat-down from event security staff.

That's why, in order to get through this commuter boondoggle for the next two weeks, we suggest going for the strong stuff. Fernet-Branca, a bitter Italian amaro (or herbal liqueur), is a favorite among San Francisco locals. Some say it tastes like "mouthwash with delusions of grandeur," but we can't get enough of it. So if you want to throw a little bit of host-city fun into your Super Bowl drink menu, pour a round of Fernet shots at halftime and see what all the fuss is about.

Of course, there are plenty of other drinks that would go great with the big game (some of our favorite Moscow Mule variations, for example), and it's always good to have something on deck for either outcome. A Long Island Iced Tea certainly gets the job done if you're looking to forget a painful loss, and champagne is a classic for celebration.

But, you know, there's something to be said for sticking to some old-school light beer and bourbon whiskey. You don't get much more American than that, and both are probably good to have on hand even if you get fancy this year. So here's to the Super Bowl, the Panthers, and the Broncos, and hopefully a more interesting game than the last time Denver made it—otherwise, we're all going to be drinking to forget.