Buzz
As the holiday season gets into full swing, it’s not just about the food. Drinks play a crucial role too. As someone who loves hosting, I’ve found that batching cocktails is a huge time-saver. It reduces mess and minimizes stress, leaving you more time to mingle with guests. This guide will show you how to prep your holiday cocktails and mocktails ahead of time.
Batching: The Ultimate Hosting Hack
The idea is straightforward: Batched cocktails are simply large quantities of pre-mixed drinks, minus the ice. Many cocktail recipes consist of simple ratios or measurements that can easily be scaled. This means you can combine the ingredients ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze the mixture for hours or even days. When the party starts, all that’s left is the final step, which is often as easy as pouring the drink over ice.
Batching your cocktails ahead of time gives you more moments to focus on arranging charcuterie boards, greeting guests, or simply enjoying your own snacks and chatting with the people you like. Be sure to let your guests know where the batch is stored, so they can help themselves. This way, they can embrace the ‘make yourself at home’ holiday spirit while being more independent.
Now that you understand the benefits of batching, here are a few tips to help you succeed.
Pick the right cocktail
Not every cocktail will store well in the fridge or freezer, so it’s important to be selective. Cocktails with a higher alcohol content are great for batching, such as martinis, negronis, Long Island iced teas, sazeracs, or paper planes. These drinks tend to have minimal juice or non-alcoholic ingredients, meaning they’ll stay fresh without compromising flavor. Keep in mind that if you're making a martini, unless you’re stirring or shaking it with ice before serving, you’ll need to dilute it to make up for the missing step. Here’s a guide for properly diluting your bottled martini.
Be cautious when it comes to drinks that are mostly sparkling wine, soda, or tonic—anything bubbly, really. They will lose their effervescence after sitting in the fridge. However, you can still incorporate a sparkling element. To maximize your batching, create a base drink in advance (such as a Long Island iced tea), and add the bubbly element (like Coca-Cola) to each glass just before serving. Pour the base over ice and top it with the fizzy drink. Be sure to inform guests about this step and make the soda, tonic, or champagne available. Even if you have to top off the drinks for them, this process is still much quicker than mixing each drink individually from scratch.
Save the egg-white, cream-foamed, and muddled cocktails for when they’re made to order. These drinks are at their best when freshly prepared, both in appearance and taste.
How much should you prepare?
I once proudly made a large batch of cocktails. Two hours into the party, it was completely gone. While I had stocked my home bar for guests to help themselves, I had hoped my special browned butter-washed whiskey cocktail would last the whole evening. I had seriously underestimated how much to prepare.
In situations like this, it’s better to do some quick calculations. Get a rough headcount, then plan for about four servings per guest for a four-hour event. Some will have fewer drinks, others more, but this should get you close to an accurate batch. If you know a few people will only drink wine, subtract those servings from the total. For example, if you expect 10 drinkers, you’ll need 40 servings of the batch.
Use the number of servings to determine how much of each ingredient you need. This will guide your shopping list. For example, if your recipe calls for two ounces of gin per serving, you’ll need 80 ounces of gin. Since most liquor bottles are measured in milliliters, you’ll need to convert ounces to milliliters. Typically, a handle of alcohol is 1.75 liters, so you’ll need one handle plus an extra 750 milliliters of gin. (Batching isn’t cheap. Maybe consider mocktails?)
How to keep it stored?
To store your perfectly prepared cocktails, use pitchers or large bottles with tight-fitting lids. I recommend these swing-top glass bottles; they're small enough to fit in the fridge or freezer and big enough to hold several servings. Their narrow opening ensures a neat pour (which is handy when your guests are a little tipsy), and this set even includes a collapsible funnel if you don't already have one. Refer to your ounce calculations to figure out how many bottles you'll need.
Best storage locations
The fridge and freezer are the two ideal places to store your batched cocktails. A cold drink is always better, and refrigeration helps preserve ingredients like juices and vermouth that might spoil at room temperature. You can prepare your batches a day or even a week in advance. However, if your cocktail or mocktail contains fresh-squeezed juice as a main ingredient, it's best to mix it either the same day or the night before. While the juice won’t spoil, its flavor might degrade over time.
If your batch has a high alcohol content (around 30% ABV or more), store it in the freezer. It won’t freeze in a standard home freezer, and it may even turn slushy. (Here's an ABV calculator for cocktails, which can be helpful for various reasons.) For drinks with dairy ingredients like milk or cream, keep them in the fridge. If they turn slushy in the freezer, the texture of the dairy could change once thawed.
When the celebration kicks off, simply wrap up the process: Cocktails served on ice should be poured over fresh ice, while drinks served 'up' are either already sufficiently diluted or need to be shaken or stirred with concentrate before straining. You might just need to add a splash of Champagne to top off the batch. Pour yourself a glass and enjoy the festive vibes of the holiday season.
