Ultimate Memorial Day Guide

By Food & Wine
Updated May 05, 2017
Credit: Nicole Franzen
Memorial Day weekend is summer’s unofficial kickoff—the year’s first big opportunity for drinking and grilling and being merry. Celebrate with the best recipes, cocktails and tips F&W has to offer.
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The Most Essential Memorial Day Recipes

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From cheese-stuffed burgers to garlicky chicken legs, here are the essentials for a great Memorial Day party.

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Memorial Day Picnic Ideas

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Celebrating Memorial Day with a picnic? Get inspired by these easily portable and delicious recipes, from a bacon, cheddar and onion quiche to Riesling sangria with lychees.

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Memorial Day Party Ideas

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Celebrate summer by throwing a phenomenal Memorial Day party, and serve your guests beef burgers with sweet-n-smoky ketchup, watermelon and charred-tomato salad, raspberry, lime and toasted coconut pops and much more.

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7 Mad Genius Memorial Day Tips

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How to have the best Memorial Day ever.

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10 Top Potluck Dishes for Memorial Day

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Here, 10 terrific, crowd-pleasing dishes that travel beautifully.

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30 Summer Party Recipes for Memorial Day

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From curry lobster rolls to grilled miso shrimp, we have every recipe you may need for an epic Memorial Day party.

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25 Make-Ahead Dishes for Your Memorial Day Party

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Perfect for entertaining, these make-ahead dishes will make your life as a host so much easier.

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9 Portable Dips for a Memorial Day Party

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These nine tasty dips can be made ahead of time, and they'll all travel well to your Memorial Day party.

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10 Best-Ever Burgers for Memorial Day

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It’s time to start grilling! Here are 10 juicy, delicious burger recipes.

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8 Super-Tasty Meatless Burgers for Memorial Day

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Mushrooms, grains and lentils are just a few ingredients that can serve as the base for a great meatless burger patty. Here, eight excellent veggie burgers to make this weekend.

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This Hamburger Cake Is The Perfect Memorial Day Dessert

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The only thing better than a cheeseburger and fries is a cheeseburger and fries for dessert.

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28 Essential Grilling Recipes to Kick Off Barbecue Season

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Go grill!

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20 Ultimate Grilling Tips for Memorial Day Barbecue

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20 more ways to up your grilling game.

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30 Days of Grilling

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Don’t stop at Memorial Day.

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20 Ways to Boost Your Grilling Game on Memorial Day

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Brush up on your grilling skills for the start of the season.

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12 High-Low Grilling Recipes You Need Now

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These fabulous recipes include apple-glazed barbecued baby back ribs and Tuscan-style veal chops.

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7 Must-Try Memorial Day Marinades

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Give your Memorial Day cookout a flavor boost with a marinade. Here, seven globally-inspired recipes to try.

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9 Grilled Seafood Recipes for Memorial Day

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From bacon-wrapped shrimp to healthy salmon tacos, here are 10 terrific grilled seafood dishes to make for Memorial Day.

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7 Kid-Friendly Foods to Grill for Memorial Day

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Get ready for family cookouts.

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23 Quick Grilling Recipes for a Last-Minute Memorial Day Barbecue

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Throw together a quick barbecue this Memorial Day with these quick recipes.

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7 Cheese-Filled Snacks for Memorial Day

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Kick off summer with cheesy party snacks.

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20 Grilling Tools for Your Memorial Day Barbecue

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A guide to the best grilling equipment for your Memorial Day barbecue party.

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9 Accessories That Make It Easier to Drink in the Pool

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Memorial Day Weekend is full of water-bound parties, so make sure you’re ready with these genius accessories, from floating coolers to inflatable beer pong.

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13 Cocktails for Grilling

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These refreshing cocktails are made for sipping while grilling. Try the Riesling sangria with lychees, and blackberry-mint juleps.

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7 Best Pitcher Drinks for Memorial Day

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From sangria studded with grilled-fruit to refreshing cucumber margaritas, here are seven terrific pitcher drinks to make this Memorial Day.

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25 Modern Summer Cocktails to Mix This Memorial Day

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Refresh and impress with delightful cocktails like strawberry-lemon mojitos and frozen cucumber-honeydew drinks.

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10 Accessories That Will Up Your Outdoor Drinking Game

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You’ll be drinking outside all Memorial Day Weekend and we can guarantee these will come in handy.

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13 Grilled Corn Recipes You’ll Obsess Over

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Corn season is upon us! Get on it!

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36 Summer Vegetable Recipes to Make This Memorial Day

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It’s just the beginning of summer produce season!

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30 Summer Salads to Munch On This Memorial Day

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Every good barbecue has a fresh salad on the side.

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36 Grilled Vegetable Recipes for Your Memorial Day Barbecue

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Whether you're looking for delicious side dishes or ideas for vegetarian mains, throwing veggies on the grill is always a great idea.

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7 Ways to Eat More Watermelon on Memorial Day

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Nothing says summer like watermelon. Here are eight ways to use it.

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26 Summer Desserts for Memorial Day Entertaining

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Kick off a season of summery sweets this Memorial Day with minted watermelon popsicles, plum crostata and more.

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