Here's How To Throw A Gold-Medal Olympic Viewing Party

The 2016 Olympic Games will begin Aug. 5, and though there's been much dispute about whether Brazil is ready to host the event, we're definitely ready to spend our summer days curled up on the couch, sipping on caipirinhas, watching world-class athletes compete to win medals. Olympic viewing is always done best with friends, so invite them over, set up a mini Olympic Games in your backyard, cook some tasty Brazilian snacks, shake up some cocktails, gift everyone an edible Olympic medal, and enjoy watching the incredible speed and talent of the world's best athletes.

Though it may be tempting to just sit on the couch, watching the athletes do all the work on screen, make the most of your enthusiastic Olympic viewers and set up a mini competition in your backyard. Running races, long jump, volleyball, and badminton are all great backyard games: Just make sure you steer clear of the more dangerous sports; we don't recommend you start throwing javelins around your backyard.

Cod fritters, also called bolinho de bacalhau, are the tastiest deep-fried bar foods, which you'll find served all over Brazil. Don't even think about serving your chilled drinks without these salty treats.

For the Cod Fritters recipe, click here.

You obviously can't host a Brazilian-themed party without serving plenty of barbecued meat. Serving a typical Brazilian churrasco means the meat should be cooked on a long skewer and carved directly on to people's plates from there.

To learn more about churrasco, click here.

These chocolate truffles are one of Brazil's most popular sweet treats, and no Brazilian party would ever be complete without them.

For the Brigadeiro Truffles recipe, click here.

The base of a caipirinha cocktail is cachaça, the national spirit of Brazil. Add a splash of prosecco to the caipirinha for a celebratory, gold medal-worthy toast to this year's Olympics.

For the Caipirinha de Uva recipe, click here.

These sweet peanut truffles, also called cajuzinhos de amendoim, are served at every party in Brazil. They're super easy to make, so there's no excuse not to bake a batch for all your guests to snack on while they watch the Olympians do all the hard work.

For the Brazilian Peanut Kisses recipe, click here.

Parties are always more fun when there's a costume theme involved. We suggest you either embrace the Brazilian carnival theme, or tell your guests to transform themselves into their favorite Olympians.

Every guest at your party deserves a medal, and yours can be better than the real ones if you make them edible! Bake some sugar cookies, decorate them as necessary, and string a ribbon through a hole in the top so that they can wear them, just like proud Olympians.

For the Sugar Cookies recipe, click here.

Show your support for your chosen country by baking a flag cake. Whether you'll be supporting the USA or another country, a cake decorated with your nation's flag pattern is the perfect way to show your support.

For our favorite flag cake ideas, click here.

Don't limit your drinks to your typical beer and wine selection: Embrace all the variations the world has to offer by buying a selection of drinks from various Olympic-participating countries.

For a gold medal-worthy party, you need your home to be covered in gold decorations. One simple way to do this is to fill glass bowls and vases with gold foil-wrapped candy to add a winning sparkle.

After a couple of those caipirinha cocktails, your guests are going to need to hydrate: Drinking plenty of Gatorade is one thing they really can do like Olympians.

Let your guests have some fun showing off their Olympic crowns, costumes, and edible medals by setting up a podium in a photo booth for them to play out their award-winning moments.

An easy way to add an Olympics theme to your party is decorating all the cocktail sticks as miniature flags. Use them to eat your snacks and to accessorize cupcakes and other desserts.

Give your guests the medal-winning treatment by crowning them with olive wreaths. With that and their edible medals, they'll feel like real Olympians.

Turn your party snacks into an Olympic torch by making paper cones (or even using ice cream cones if you don't want to make paper ones), filling them with sweet and salty popcorn.

For 12 exciting popcorn recipes, click here.

This Brazilian comfort food is always popular: Pão de queijo are bread balls with grated cheese mixed into the dough, making for a rich, salty, and wonderfully tasty snack.

For the Pão de Queijo recipe, click here.

Obviously an Olympic viewing party needs Olympics-themed decorations. We love this idea of making paper rings in the five Olympic colors and stringing them up around your house for an easy and fun DIY project.

If you ever go to Brazil, you'll find that they love pizza, so make sure you share this pizza-obsession with your party guests. Rodizio-style pizza is the classic way of serving pizza in Brazil: It's an all-you-can-eat affair, made up of thin-crust pizza with totally unconventional toppings.

For more on Brazilian pizza, click here.

This sweet Brazilian snack — called Romeu e Julieta — is so simple to make and is the perfect party finger food. Thinly slice some white cheese, such as queso fresco or canastra, and slice guava paste into the same size pieces. Then sandwich one slice of paste between two slices of cheese, with a cocktail stick (or flag!) piercing them together, for a sweet and salty sandwich.

For the Guava Paste recipe, click here.