Since the very early days of BevX.com, more than a decade ago, our Cocktail of the Week feature has been one of the most viewed pages of any given week. Naturally, this page is the inspiration for a good deal of the emails that I receive from our readers.
It’s clear that many of you are experimenting with cocktails at home. This is a great development. I have always worked to deliver cocktail recipes that home bartenders can execute. While there are hundreds, if not thousands, of professional bartenders who get our weekly newsletter, it is the home bartender that I am trying to reach. I don’t want spectators, I want to inspire hands-on cocktail pleasure.
The answer is to do what the pros do – batch your cocktail.
Batching is just another word for math, and most everyone who has cooked for a group has batched. If the recipe states that it will make four servings and you have eight for dinner, you simply double the recipe – that’s batching.
Batching cocktails is a little trickier, as you need to determine how many cocktails to provide for each guest. Some guests will want just one, while others will have as many as you offer, but they would be better off with one! Remember that cocktails can be more potent than a serving of wine or a beer. I typically offer two cocktails per person if we are moving on to dinner, where more alcohol drinks will be available.
Batching Cocktails Example
The guest and host list includes eight. You want to offer 2 cocktails per person, for a total of 16. Simply multiply the cocktail’s ingredients by 16 to get your batch recipe. A simpler way to do the math is to look at the cocktail ratios. A classic Margarita is made with 1.5 ounces of Tequila, 3/4 ounce of lime juice, and 3/4 ounce of orange Liqueur. That’s an easy 2/1/1 ratio, and it’s easy to bump this up by 50% or double it, or even triple the recipe.
Batching Cocktails – Determine Your Work Load
Now that you have determined to make life simpler by batching your cocktails, it’s wise to determine your desired workload at party time. Sometimes it’s nice to have all of the measuring and juicing done before the guests arrive, but you still want to offer a bit of individual attention. Shaking or stirring individual cocktails, or doing two at a time, is a great way to flash some bartending skills at your gathering without taking you out of the scene. Cocktails like the Sidecar, Margarita, or a Manhattan will require a shake or a stir before serving, but can otherwise be batched.
If you desire less work, you can opt for a cocktail that can simply be served over ice with a quick stir in the glass. The Negroni is a great example of an easy-to-batch cocktail that can be ready to serve in seconds.
If you would like even less work than pouring and stirring opt for the ultimate party cocktails such as punches (see our Rosé Punch) and sangrias (see our Festive Sangria) as these can be fully built and your guests can serve themselves.
Whichever route you choose, I hope the concept of batching your cocktails has added it to your list of possibilities for your next gathering. Remember that entertaining is all about sharing time with guests.
Do you want to have a better understanding of cocktails and entertaining with drinks? May we suggest Be A Beverage Expert (BABE), a guide to understanding wine, beer, spirits, and cocktails.