Cheer Your Favourite Cricket Team On, With These Easy Big Batch Mixed Drinks
Watching a World Cup match can be a tense affair, especially when you are cheering on India, a nation where cricket is not just a sport, but an emotion. World Cup season also means inviting your friends home so you can all indulge in your love for the game together. This means stocking up and planning in advance to host the ultimate match day party. And batch cocktails (or mocktails) rise spectacularly to the occasion, serving four times the number of guests for one part of the effort. Here, we’ve compiled four classic batch drinks to serve your gang as you cheer Team India on together! Do remember, each of these recipes serves eight people, so adjust measurements accordingly if you have fewer (or more) people over.
Johnnie Blonde & Lemonade
This wonderfully refreshing recipe is sure to win over your guests. For this drink, you’ll need 240 ml of Johnnie Walker Blonde, 720 ml of lemonade, orange slices and ice. Heap the ice into a punch bowl, add the Johnnie Walker Blonde and the lemonade. Pop in the fresh orange slices, and you're ready to serve!
Gordon's Watermelon Gin Punch
For this recipe, you'll need four cups of fresh watermelon juice, about 12 fresh mint leaves, a cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice, between half to three-quarter of a cup of simple syrup (adjust as per the sweetness level you need), two cups of gin (it has to be Gordon's The Original London Dry Gin) and club soda.
Add mint to the pitcher you're using for the drinks, and muddle it gently. Next, your watermelon juice, simple syrup, lemon juice and Gordon's need to go in as well. Stir to mix. To serve: fill a glass with ice, pour in some punch and top it off with club soda. A mint leaf garnish finishes the drink!
Smirnoff Red Fruit Punch
This fruit punch is just the cold beverage you need to assuage your thirst from cheering yourself hoarse every time your team sprints closer to the trophy. The ingredient list is a tad extensive, so do pay attention. You are guaranteed a delicious cocktail your guests will thank you for, long after match day.
You'll need 300 ml of a good quality vodka (we recommend Smirnoff Red). Follow that up with 200 ml triple sec, 100 ml lime juice, 50 gm of caster sugar, 250 ml pineapple juice, 250 ml orange or other tropical fruit juice, 125 ml soda, lots of ice. For the garnish, keep a few slices of orange, or seasonal berries.
The vodka and triple sec go into the punch bowl first. Then, dissolve the sugar in the lime juice and add it to the bowl as well. Pour in the fruit juices, add scoops of ice, and stir to mix. The soda and orange slices/berries go in at the end.
For those of your guests who are designated drivers, don’t enjoy/consume alcohol, or are just abstaining on the present occasion, this punch is a lovely option as well. Just leave out the vodka, and you're ready to serve!
Remember, cricket viewing is no fun if you’re not alert enough to follow the action. So do keep track of how much you’re imbibing with as much attention as the score.
