Our tips for crafting delicious batch cocktails

Refreshing and welcoming, cocktails are the perfect addition to a great summer party. They can, however, be time consuming to make. Follow this easy guide to quench your guests’ thirst without spending all night preparing beverages.

Preparing and serving refreshing, tasty cocktails to a large group is no small affair. If you start preparing each drink separately, chances are, you’ll never get to join the party. That would really be a shame, since the idea is to fully enjoy your celebration. To solve this dilemma, nothing better than to revisit good old punch-style classics. Here are our tips to have them come out perfect every single time.

Bowl or pitcher?

At a party, providing cocktails in a large bowl or pitchers allows people to help themselves – making things super-easy for the host. A large bowl – preferably transparent – lets your guests appreciate the visual element of the many flavors present in your cocktail. The colors and textures often become key elements of the serving table, a decorative centerpiece around which guests can gather to serve themselves, and have a chat. A ladle also allows guests to serve the right amount: one ladleful = one glass. Easy peasy.

Cocktails served in pitchers also have their advantages: they are easier to store in the refrigerator (which is important if you want to keep them fresh and delicious), and can more easily serve several guests at a time.

Keep it fresh

For your evening gatherings, keep things fresh and cool. Opt for recipes which contain citrus, herbal, and fresh fruit flavors, topped with soda, sparkling water or prosecco. Depending on your guests’ preferences, you can offer classics such as the Caipirinha, the Mojito, the Margarita, or a simple sparkling Sangria. All of these can be easily served in a bowl or pitcher.

Keep the good times coming

So you don’t run out of cocktails during your party, remember to prepare the right amounts and choose the right kind of glasses. Some simple math beforehand will help keep your guests happy on the night. The recipes you’ll find are usually per person (one serving), so if you multiply them, it is essential that you follow proper measurements.

Say you want to make about 10 Imperial Fizz cocktails. Pour into a bowl or pitcher: 15 shots of whisky, 5 shots of white rum, 5 shots of lemon juice, 5 shots of sugar syrup and around thirty ice cubes. Add sparkling water just before serving, so you don’t lose any of the fizz. As a finishing touch, stir well and add a few slices of lemon and around twenty un-stemmed cherries.

Here’s an insider tip: If you choose to serve a bitter cocktail, don’t multiply the bitter or sour ingredient by the desired quantity. Instead, reduce the quantity of bitters, and adjust it at the end, if necessary. While enticing, bitters can easily override other flavors if served in too large a quantity. You should therefore ensure your measures bring a delicious sour sensation without impinging on the pleasure of sipping on a fine cocktail.

Leave it to infuse

Successfully serving cocktails in large quantities is an art in itself, requiring a unique handling of intense and distinct flavors. Spirits, citrus peel and zest, fruits, spices, syrups, and ice cubes all take time to blend together, adding layers to your drink and creating a harmonious taste. Once the preparation has had time to infuse and your guests are beginning to arrive, take your cocktail out of the refrigerator and add a garnish that’s appealing not only to the eye, but to the nose and taste buds as well (fresh herbs, fruit peel, cinnamon sticks, etc…). If your mix calls for sparkling water or wine, add it in just as your guests are arriving. Any earlier and it will lose all its fizz!

Here’s another insider tip: If, after infusion, your fruit or garnish have wilted, take them out by filtering your cocktail with a sieve and add new pieces of fruit and herbs to freshen up the look of your mix. You don’t need to throw these fruits out: they can make for great syrup ingredients for your future cocktail creations!