How to Batch Any Cocktail, According to a Bartender
Making cocktails for a crowd can be tricky. Even after the bar cart is stocked, hosts still need to get their specs in order and churn out drinks quickly so no one is left empty handed. All too easily, the night can slip away in a flurry of shaking and stirring without an extra second to mingle with guests.
The solution: pre-batch the cocktails. Making drinks in advance is the only way to pull off a stress-free hosting experience, but pre-mixing cocktails is not quite as straightforward as it may sound. To help you plan out the drinks for your next gathering, VinePair asked Rob Scott, head bartender at Philadelphia’s Almanac, for his tips on how to make large-scale cocktails for a soirée of any size.
Even high-caliber bars batch cocktails in one way or another, so it’s an expert-approved method for making drinks. Scott says his team pre-combines at least some portion of just about every option on Almanac’s menu to ensure that drinks flow in a timely manner, offering extra time for bartenders to curate the rest of the experience.
“We batch cocktails so we have more time to attend to our guests, but this applies both in a professional and personal setting,” he says. “Ultimately, the drink is just a set piece for what’s really important in a bar or at a party, which is human interaction.”
When Can You Pre-Make Cocktails?
Some cocktails are better candidates for batching than others. Stirred drinks that strictly contain spirits like Negronis, Martinis, and Old Fashioneds are ideal because you can make them in large quantities without worrying about any of the ingredients going bad over time. The high alcohol content also means that they can be stored in the freezer for an ultra-cold version that’s always ready to serve. (Scott’s favorite drink to have on deck: a Right Hand)
Shaken drinks can also be batched, but the process requires a bit more forward thinking. Scott says fresh citrus, bitters, and other ingredients that are used for their aromas aren’t suitable for using in a batch that needs to last longer than a few hours. “Aromatic compounds are volatile and will dissolve quickly,” Scott says. “They can also start to taste too intense over time.”
Margaritas, tropical drinks, and punches can all be scaled up pretty easily — as long as you make the drink just before guests arrive and plan to consume it all throughout your event. “If you have a jug of Margaritas, I doubt it survives the day,” he says. “So you’re all set to batch that one.”
When the team at Almanac wants to shake each drink to order, they combine just a few parts of the drink, typically just the spirits, ahead of time to eliminate some time they’d otherwise spend measuring and pouring — and that’s a strategy you can try at home, too. So if you’re making a big batch of Naked and Famous cocktails, boozy ingredients like the mezcal, Aperol, and OYellow Chartreuse can be mixed ahead of time, while the fresh lime juice can be added right before serving.
For added ease, you can also pre-batch the citrus component the day of the event and keep it in a separate container. So then when you’re hosting, you can combine liquid from the pre-mixed spirit batch with the fresh citrus juice without having to vigorously squeeze limes on demand.
How to Pre-Batch Cocktails
One essential aspect that’s often overlooked when batching drinks is dilution. When cocktails are made à la minute, shaking or stirring the liquid with ice introduces water to the mixture, making the palate more approachable. So adding a bit of water to your batch is extremely important for a balanced final product. Each drink requires a different amount of water, but Scott suggests an 18 percent dilution ratio is a good place to start.
If you need help with the math, this calculator created by renowned bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler is a handy tool that factors in each ingredient with the proper dilution. Boozy, stirred drinks definitely need some dilution, but Scott says you may be able to “just let nature do the work” for drinks that would be served over a lot of ice anyway.
Once you crunch the numbers and lay out the ingredients, the hard part is over. You may be tempted to fill up a pitcher or drink dispenser to the brim and get the party started. But before letting the booze flow, remember the most important piece of batching advice: Start small.
“Do a smaller batch first to make sure it works,” Scott says. “Once you’ve got it dialed in, go buck wild and make it as big as you want, but there’s nothing worse than making a big, batched cocktail, taking a sip, and thinking, ‘Oh no, this isn’t it.’”
It really is that simple. Whether you’re hosting a chic, Martini-fueled dinner party or channeling the tropics with a fruit-forward punch, these batching tips will ensure glasses never go empty — just beware you may pick up a gig as your friend group’s go-to bartender.
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