The holiday season has arrived, ushering in a time of celebration filled with parties, meals, and gatherings. Embrace that joyful spirit by stepping out from behind the bar when it’s party time, taking advantage of perfect, make-ahead drinks that are ready to share.
Before we get to mixing: one option well worth noting is packaged, ready-to-drink cocktails (RTDs)—easy, accessible, and increasingly available. Even smaller, independent distilleries are getting into that game producing bottled or canned drinks meant to showcase their craft spirits in a range of popular flavors and classic cocktails.
Notably, RTDs don’t have to be commodity hard seltzers. Seattle’s Fast Penny Spirits, for example, sells a canned Shakerato cocktail—in a 200-milliliter can, at 15 percent ABV—that combines their own Amaricano amaro, locally made Scrappy’s orange bitters, and Madcap coffee from Michigan. I love serving this delicious cocktail at an espresso martini station, and my guests love it, too. Serve it as an aperitif on the rocks with an orange twist—or, shake the can and pour it into a martini glass with vodka or whiskey.
Another favorite of mine is the line of 750-milliliter bottled cocktails from Chicago-based Hoste, a team of industry veterans who know how to craft great drinks. The line includes their Gold Fashioned, Perfect Manhattan, Mezcal Negroni, and Martini. As a fun bonus, each bottle comes with a citrus atomizer for zesting your glass at home.
Ultimately, premium canned and bottled cocktails offer a balance between quick service and high quality, making them an attractive choice for casual drinkers and cocktail enthusiasts alike. Often, they also represent an opportunity to serve something local or to turn your guests on to something new.
However, if you’re ready to get more hands-on—without having to mix a fresh drink anytime somebody wants one—then batched cocktails are a beautiful way to go. Here are some tips and recipes to liven up the party.
Batched-Cocktail Wisdom
This timeless approach to serving cocktails at get-togethers allows for efficient service without sacrificing quality.
By preparing things in advance, you can streamline the mixing process, ensuring that guests can enjoy perfectly made drinks with minimal wait time. That not only enhances their experience, but it also allows you to focus on hosting, mingling, and simply enjoying the party.
Batched cocktails can also help you reduce waste, control costs, and be inventive. Whether it’s a wedding, office party, or just a casual get-together with friends, batching a few signature cocktails can elevate the occasion and make it memorable.
Here are some tips to help ensure success:
- Remember the water. Whether stirred or chilled, cocktails require some level of dilution. If you plan to store your batched cocktails in the freezer, you won’t want to serve them on ice, so be sure to dilute them properly while batching. Frozen or not, I recommend diluting the alcoholic ingredients by 25 percent with water. Even if you plan to serve the cocktail on ice, you’ll need careful dilution for a perfect serve.
- If you’re freezing the cocktail, be mindful of the vessel. Never fill a glass bottle fully, if you plan to freeze it, and check on it regularly. For this, I prefer to use PET juice bottles, which come in various sizes up to 64 ounces or more.
- If you’re adding bitters or simple syrup, taste as you build the cocktail. Begin with half of what’s in the recipe, and taste it along the way—you can always add more.
- If you’re using a punch bowl, a large block of ice is better than small cubes. A large block helps to keep the punch cool without over-diluting it. You can use large plastic containers (e.g., Tupperware) to make the blocks of ice.
- With citrus-based batched cocktails, use an airtight container to avoid oxidation. Those PET juice bottles I mentioned work great for this—or, simply wait until the day before the event to make and batch the drink.
- On that note, sticking to plan-ahead recipes that have a long shelf life in the fridge or freezer can help you to control cost and waste.
Recipes for Batched Cocktails
Here are three of my favorite recipes that have been winners at gatherings of all kinds over the years.
Cozy Cooler
This one (pictured at top) makes for a great aperitif or just a refreshing alternative to bolder cocktails—a great option if you’re serving charcuterie and lighter dishes for the holiday. You’ll want to use the PET juice bottles I mentioned above, instructing your guests to shake the bottle and pour over ice in a short glass.
For this recipe, I like Still Austin’s American Gin—it has a really flavorful grain base and botanicals that include cinnamon, citrus peels, elderflower, and allspice.
1 bottle flavorful gin, such as Still Austin’s American Gin
1 cup apple cider
1 cup pear juice
½ cup water
4 oz Lillet Blanc
dehydrated apples or pears
Add all the liquid ingredients to a large pitcher and stir well. Pour into 32-ounce PET juice bottles—and, for a cool presentation, label them with chalkboard-style adhesive labels. Alternatively, you can serve this cocktail from glass bottles with corks or screw-top caps. (Keep in mind that with nonairtight glass vessels, you’ll have a shorter shelf life in the fridge.) Next to the cocktail bottles, place the dehydrated apple or pear slices in a bowl for garnishing.
Sailor’s Holiday Punch
The traditional rum punch is a classic choice for gatherings, and its delightful flavors shine during the winter holidays. I’ve enhanced the classic recipe by swapping out sugar for honey syrup, and by integrating festive spices. This is easy to make, and you can easily scale it up for larger celebrations.
1½ cup Ginger-Nutmeg Honey Syrup (below)
½ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
4 cup aged rum or whiskey
2½ cup apple brandy
8 cup chilled black or spiced chai tea
Wheel-sliced lemon and orange, dried
Ginger-Nutmeg Honey Syrup
peel of 1 lemon
2 cup water
2 Tbs ginger paste
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cup raw honey
Add the lemon peel to a small pot on the stove and bring to a low heat for 2 minutes, adding the water slowly while stirring. Add the ginger paste and nutmeg, simmer for 5 minutes, then remove the peel with a slotted spoon. Add the honey, remove from the heat, and stir until the honey is dissolved. Allow the syrup to cool.
For the punch, add all ingredients to a punch bowl with a block of ice. Float dried lemon and orange wheels on top. For presentation, I like to set down (or hang) a little picture frame that instructs guests to stir the punch before ladling it into their cups. A note on those cups: I prefer small ones, so that my guests aren’t on their faces after two drinks.
Mulled Wine & Whiskey
You can’t go wrong with warm cocktails in the cooler months. Warm beverages have a calming effect—and, as a bonus, warm spiced cocktails make the room smell nice. This one is something like Manhattan meets whiskey sour meets mulled wine, and I’ve found it to be a winner when I serve it. Nonwhiskey drinkers go nuts for it, too.
This cocktail is easy to serve in a 14-quart crockpot; with a smaller crockpot, simply divide the final batch, keep half in the fridge, and occasionally refill.
1 bottle red wine—cabernet works well here
¼ cup sweet vermouth
⅓ cup water
⅓ cup Spiced Orange Syrup (below)
2 Tbs Fee Brothers Cherry Bitters
2 Tbs mulling spices
375 ml rye whiskey
peel of 1 orange
Spiced Orange Syrup
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
¼ cup honey
1 pinch each clove, ginger, and mace
Save the peel from the fresh-squeezed orange for the cocktail. Add all ingredients to a warm pot, stirring well to ensure the honey is fully dissolved.
For the cocktail: Add wine, vermouth, water, syrup, bitters, and the mulling spices (in a small pouch) to the crockpot; warm on high. Once the liquid is hot—after about 35–40 minutes—stir well and remove the mulling spices. Add the whiskey and orange peel, stir, lower the temperature to warm, and serve.
Serving tip: Cut the orange peel into fun shapes to make the presentation look a little extra special.
Fun, Festive, Easy
Batched cocktails not only simplify the drink-making process, but they also enhance the festive spirit of your holiday gatherings.
By preparing these delightful beverages in advance, you can focus more on enjoying precious moments with friends and loved ones while unshackling yourself from the bar. As a bonus, you can reduce waste and lower the cost of entertaining.
Whether you choose to stick to traditional recipes or experiment with your own creative twists, there’s a perfect blend for everyone. So, raise a glass of your favorite concoction, embrace the merriment, and toast to the joy of togetherness this holiday season. Cheers!