How to Make Batch Cocktails: Tips for Easy Party Drinks

Hosting a party is always a fun time, but it does come with some responsibilities. We have to provide a space for our guests, offer them something to eat or nibble on, and provide them with something to drink. That is why learning how to make batch cocktails is a good idea.

Learning how to make batch cocktails will help you serve the best party cocktails with any recipe and have enough for the crowd. Hosting events can be fun, but it can also be stressful.

There are plenty of moving parts we need to keep in tip-top shape so we can be satisfied with the result. Luckily, people have been entertaining guests for centuries, so we have a few tricks to make things easier.

One way to ease the stress of hosting is to batch cocktails. What does it mean to batch cocktails? It’s simple: make the cocktails ahead of time and make a larger batch of each.

The goal is to have a few pitchers or punch bowls filled with different cocktails before your event even starts. This will accomplish two things for hosts: first, it will get one of the many tasks on their to-do list done ahead of time.

The second is to free up time during the event so they can actually enjoy it. Sounds like an easy thing to accomplish, but that just means the pitfalls aren’t as easy to see, making them, well, pitfalls.

Of course, we did mention that people have been hosting for centuries, which means we have ways to avoid those pitfalls. All we need to do is learn how to make batch cocktails for easy party drinks.

How Early Can You Make Batch Cocktails

Timing is everything in most cases. We want to ensure that our timing isn’t off, or else the cocktails won’t taste great. This means we need to decide when we will mix the cocktails for our event. Timing is the first pitfall hosts will come across.

We can make cocktails whenever we want; after all, they are most likely going to sit in the fridge until the event. You could get away with making some batch cocktails up to a month in advance. However, not every cocktail works like that.

The best way to think about it is if the ingredient can sit open in your fridge for an extended period of time, it can be mixed for that same amount of time. One method is to divide the recipes up into premixed and day-of sections.

Another option is to stick with cocktails that can be thoroughly mixed in advance.

Cocktails You Shouldn’t Make Ahead

Learning how to make batch cocktails means knowing the difference between a cocktail that can be made ahead of time and one that cannot. There is an easy rule you can apply to any cocktail recipe to determine whether it can be made ahead of time.

A stirred cocktail can be made entirely in advance; a shaken cocktail requires more scrutiny. Stirred cocktails are often made with shelf-stable ingredients, things that can be left open in your fridge and won’t go bad for a while.

Shaken cocktails are usually a blend of shelf-stable and perishable ingredients, think straight vodka vs. vodka soda. A vodka soda needs club soda, but club soda will go flat if left open for longer than a couple of hours.

That seems like a bad option, but you could just pour the vodka into a pitcher and have it ready to add club soda just before the event begins. That is how we would scrutinize these recipes.

What Are Common Batch Cocktails Mistakes

Pitfalls and mistakes are similar, but not quite the same. Pitfalls come from knowing a little but missing the nuance; mistakes are just the wrong way of doing things. There aren’t many mistakes you can make with cocktails, though there is one when making batch cocktails.

Do not leave out the fresh ingredients. Instead, include those in your prep ahead of time. For example, you can clean the garnishes and even slice or dice them the night before or the morning of the event.

This will ensure that it is easy for you to garnish the drinks during the event, or for your guests to add garnishes. This mistake is simple: just don’t leave out fresh ingredients. Instead, prep them the morning of the event.

How to Store Batch Cocktails

We’ve figured out which cocktails to make ahead of time and know we shouldn’t skip the fresh ingredients, but how do we store the cocktails until the event? The answer is simple: in a sealed container in your fridge.

Knowing how to make batch cocktails also means knowing what can affect the cocktail before serving. Your fridge is likely going to be packed with different dishes for the event.

The problem is that the aromas of those dishes can alter the flavor of a cocktail, it’s that delicate. A sealed container will keep those pesky aromas from changing the flavor of our cocktails.

This can be a pitcher with a lid or a drink dispenser with a sealed top.

How to Make Batch Cocktails

A quick rundown of the most important tips can ensure that your premade cocktails taste as good when your guests drink them as they did when you first poured them. Be picky about the cocktail recipes you choose to make ahead of time; save some ingredients, like carbonated ingredients or citrus, until the last minute; prep the garnishes the morning of; and store the premade cocktails in a sealed container.

This is everything you will need to know about batching cocktails for a seamless event.

Cocktail Recipes to Batch

Bourbon Eggnog Recipe | This is one that can be made ahead of time with no problems.

Sunrise Strawberry Mimosa Recipe | Mimosas are perfect for brunch, even better when they are self-served, so you can enjoy the meal.

Banana Creme Rum and Orange Juice Cocktail | Summer parties just got a whole lot easier. Don’t forget the citrus rule, though.

Pumpkin Spice Martini with Baileys Recipe | Fall dinner parties, Halloween parties, any event during fall is the perfect occasion for this one.

How to Make the Perfect Mojito | You can go wrong with a mojito, especially during the dog days of summer.