Easy Tricks To Turn Any Cocktail Into Batch Proportions!
When you have a house party, there's plenty of work to be done before the event. Preparing the food or getting it catered to your home, decorating the house, planning themes and activities for the occasions, and then there’s gifting. With so many tasks that need to be checked off your list, let us help you cut down on your precious time on one very crucial task. Making batch cocktails! You no longer need to stand at the bar and mix each drink. Instead, you can use this precious time to mingle with your guests and participate in activities.
Just like baking, mixology too is all about getting the right measurements of the ingredients. But when you are making batch cocktail, that too for an informal event like a house party, you can relax about not getting the measurements to the T. You can pop up your writing board and calculate exact measurements for each ingredient to make the batch cocktails, but a little change in the proportions doesn't make an impact enough for the guests to not enjoy the drinks you made! So learn all about making batch cocktails for any drink!
Why prepare cocktails in batch portions?
The answer is easy, it helps you save a lot of time. The drink will get done in seconds rather than minutes, And people like pre-made drinks filled in carafes, which help them identify the cocktail and its ingredients.
What kind of cocktails can be batched?
Spirit-forward cocktails can be batched as they won't turn bitter even if you use them after a long period. They contain spirits, syrups, bitters, and other lower ABV ingredients owing to which they don’t become more bitter over time. The cocktail will taste as good when it was first prepared on the day you serve it during your party.
Avoid fruit juices as some of them do turn sour. When you make a batch cocktail using fresh juice, its shelf life drops to hours from days. Avoid making batch cocktails out of drinks that contain milk or egg white, as they turn bad. Trust us when we say your party won’t be remembered for the right reasons! Any perishable food must be avoided while making batch cocktails.
This means, any cocktail that uses spirits, liqueurs, syrups, vermouths, etc. are a great choice for batch-making.
Also note, if your cocktail is a fizzy drink, don't add the soda or anything carbonated or bubbly until just before serving.
What kind of bar tools are needed to make batch cocktails?
Batch cocktails don't need any special equipment. You can make them with common bar tools lying in your bar cabinet. If you don't have all the necessary bar tools, you can easily get them in physical or online stores. Below are the tools you will need to make batch cocktails:
- A 750 ml pitcher
- Funnel
- Liquid measuring cup
- Long handled spoon
- Jigger
How to make batch cocktails without using a calculator?
In the West, where they use ounce and cup as the unit of measurement, they simply convert the quantity of ingredients from ounce to cup. A cup is eight times an ounce. So, all they need to do is multiply by eight the measurements of their ingredients. In this part of the world, where litres, millilitres and grams are in use, just remember that an ounce is nearly 30 ml. Thus, for batch proportions of the ingredients, just multiply the ingredients by eight, and you get the right measurements for them. Also, add a little water to your batch cocktails as you won't be using ice while making them. For a cocktail measuring 75 ml, add 60-80 ml water. If the cocktail measures 180-200 ml, add 120 ml water to it.
BUT — when you are using bitters, DO NOT multiply by eight to use for batch cocktails. The flavour of the bitters become more pronounced overtime. And once you have added them in your batch cocktail, it is very difficult to harmonise the flavours. Hence for bitters, multiply by four to get the quantity for your batch cocktail. You have essentially halved the amount of bitters for the batch, but be assured, the flavours will come through well even though its amount is reduced for the recipe. This applies to bitter spirits like amaro as well.
Refrigerating Batch Cocktails
Once you have mixed the ingredients, refrigerate for four hours or overnight. If you like serving cocktails cold, you can also keep the batch in the freezer. Also, in case you are serving a cocktail without ice, chill it well in the freezer for a few minutes before bringing it out.
A Batch Cocktail Recipe
To simplify the maths and the process, here's an example for converting cocktails into batch proportions. Let's take an Old Fashioned to make the batch cocktail.
Ingredients for serving one —
60 ml 95-100 proof bourbon
15 ml brown sugar simple syrup
2-3 dashes of orange bitters
Orange peel and a single cherry, for garnish
Ingredients for a batch cocktail (up to 8 servings)—
480 ml bourbon
120 ml brown sugar simple syrup
8-12 dashes of orange bitters
80 ml water
Easy breezy cocktails you can match to batch portions
- Classic Old Fashioned
- Manhattan
- Negroni
- Martini
- Perfect Manhattan
- Old Pal
- Sazerac
- El Presidente
- Rum Old Fashioned
- Rob Roy
- Martinez
- Last Word
- Hanky Panky
- Vesper Martini
- Boulevardier
- Black Manhattan
- Rum Manhattan
Additional Tips
- Always measure the ingredients. The proportions of ingredients matter while making batch cocktails.
- Add water to the batch cocktail, unless you will be shaking and/or stirring with ice before serving.
- Label your cocktails and also mention the ingredients on it.
- Batch two or three cocktails for a party. You never know when the extra batch could come handy.
- Use garnishes that are easy to use — citrus wheels, cocktail cherries, olives, dried spices such as cinnamon sticks.
