Stress Free Sips: How To Batch Cocktails For Your Next Party

Summer is a time for gathering, soaking up the sun and, of course, cocktails! Whether you’re hosting an elegant backyard dinner or a girls’ night in, having a premade cocktail on hand is a game changer. Not only will you spend less time behind the bar and more time in the company of your guests, but pouring a craft cocktail will be as simple as popping a bottle.

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What Is Batching?

Batching is the craft of scaling a single cocktail recipe to multiple cocktails, converting ounces to parts using simple multiplication. It’s as much of an art as it is a science. The problem with craft cocktails is that they’re time-consuming to make. No matter how skilled of a bartender you are, mixing multiple 4- to 5-touch cocktails at a time can steal you away from the party. And you are the party.

The Best Cocktails For Batching

Some cocktails are better for batching than others. Spirit-forward cocktails like Negronis, Manhattans and Old Fashioneds are excellent choices for batching. They don’t use perishable ingredients, making them ideal for pre-mixing. Not that we don’t love a margarita or French 75, but if you’re adding citrus, dairy or carbonation to your batched cocktail, we recommend waiting until a few hours before serving. Cocktails containing citrus can be batched, but citrus becomes more bitter as it sits. For cocktails with a fizzy component like club soda or prosecco, the key is to batch all the ingredients except the bubbles, adding them as the cocktail is served. For cocktails made with bitters, we recommend using half the amount of bitters as they tend to become more pronounced over time when batched.

What You’ll Need

Batching cocktails requires minimal supplies. On top of your cocktail recipe ingredients, you’ll only need the following:

• Sterilized Bottle, Mason Jar or Pitcher
• Long-Handled Spoon
• Liquid Measuring Cup
• Jigger
• Cutting Board, Knife and Citrus Juicer
• Scale
• Calculator
• Labels

How To Convert A Single Cocktail Recipe To A Batch

Determine Your Servings

In order to scale your recipe correctly, you’re going to need precise measurements to maintain the balance of flavors. Step 1: Decide how many drinks you’re serving. If you have seven guests and want each guest to be able to have two drinks, you’ll need to multiply the base recipe by 14. Step 2: Write out the ingredients in the base recipe using that equation. For example, let’s say we wanted to make a pitcher of martinis, the ingredient calculations would look like this:

• 2½ ounces gin: 14 x 2.5 = 35 ounces gin
• ½ ounce dry vermouth: 14 x 0.5 = 7 ounces dry vermouth
• 1 dash optional orange or aromatic bitters: 14 x 1 = 14 dashes bitters / 2 (only use half the amount of bitters when batching) = 7 dashes bitters

Step 3: Determine how many bottles of liquor to buy. The only wrinkle in this plan is that liquor is sold by the 750mL bottle, not by fluid ounces. 750mL is equivalent to about 25¼ ounces—with that in mind, for the example above you’ll need two bottles of gin and one bottle dry vermouth.

Adjust for Dilution

For spirit-forward cocktails, you’ll want to add water to account for the dilution that typically occurs during shaking or stirring. But how much water? The answer lies in an experiment. You’re going to make a single drink and measure it in ounces, before and after stirring with ice. Step 1: Stir long enough for proper dilution—at least 30 seconds. Step 2: Strain the drink after stirring—get all the liquid out of the mixing glass. Step 3: Subtract the volume of the unstirred drink from the volume of the stirred drink. Step 4: Multiply the resulting number by the number of drinks you want to make. This is the amount of water you should add to the batched cocktail.

Mix and Store

Same rules apply—some cocktails can be stored, some can’t. Cocktails with citrus or fruit juice should be consumed the same day and stored in the fridge before serving. Spirit-forward cocktails with vermouth, like a Manhattan or Negroni, can last up to a month stored in the fridge or freezer in an airtight container. Other spirit-forward cocktails, like an Old Fashioned, can last indefinitely when properly stored in the fridge or freezer. If you’re batching a margarita, you can batch the non-perishables: tequila, orange liqueur and agave. When you’re ready to serve, you’ll just need to add fresh-squeezed lime juice, ice and give it a quick shake.

Taste and Adjust

Once you’ve prepared your batched cocktail, now comes the taste test. You’ll want to taste it the way it’s going to be served. If you’re serving it over ice, taste it over ice. If you’re serving it straight up, taste it straight up. Pro Tip: Make sure it’s chilled as temperature can affect the flavor. For example, a drink that’s alcohol forward at room temperature can taste perfect when chilled. If you need to make some adjustments, you can add a little water if it’s too strong or more of one ingredient if it doesn’t taste balanced. You shouldn’t be making any large adjustments at this point, but small tweaks are OK.

Set Up Your Bar Area

A well-arranged bar area with glassware, ice, garnishes and serving instructions will allow your guests to help themselves, adding an interactive element to your party. We recommend setting up your bar area in a place that’s out of the way so it doesn’t block access to important, high-traffic areas. Making martinis? Provide a bowl of lemon twists and a bowl of green olives—or some already threaded onto skewers. Making Old Fashioneds? Set up a bowl of maraschino cherries. And don’t forget the fun you can have with ice spheres, cocktail picks and drink markers.

Hungry for more? From bar tools and cocktail shakers to ice buckets and decanters, our Bar Collection has everything you need for the happiest of happy hours.

Shop Our Bar Collection