Do’s & Don’ts of Batching Cocktails at Home + 3 Recipes

In this post, we go over the (1) do’s & don’ts of batching cocktails at home and (3) cocktail recipes you can try out the next time you batch.

Do’s & Don’ts of Batching Cocktails at Home

Imagine inviting guests to your house for a small gathering. Everyone brings food. However, you are the one who serves drinks. If you’re thinking about how to meet the demands of thirsty companions and still have fun with them, then the answer is to make batched cocktails.

Bars across the globe have utilized this method to increase efficiency and reliability. However, the reality is that your home isn’t a professional bar. It’s not going to be serving hundreds of drinks throughout a night (if you’re doing that, then let’s discuss this); therefore, batching at home doesn’t need to be as rigorous as it would be in a business setting.

However, you should be aware of some rules and guidelines when it involves batching. We are here to outline the basics to help you.

Don’t: Forget to make recipes scaled and take measurements accurately

Batching is making a recipe for a cocktail and multiplying the recipe by however many servings you want to serve. One of the easiest methods is to convert cups of ounces, yielding at least four drinks. However, you can adjust the recipe to whatever volume you want.

Measuring accurately is essential to making the perfect and balanced batched cocktail. You’ll be sure to measure precisely because the margin of error is much more significant when dealing with cups instead of ounces. Utilize a measuring cup containing milliliters or ounces written down so you can identify even smaller amounts of ingredients.

Do: Decide what you’d like to pre-dilute or mix cocktails in a moment

When you mix ingredients, you may add water before or after the batch.

Mixing stirred cocktails is familiar to pre-dilute before the best option. The whole drink will mix as it chills in the fridge or the freezer (depending upon the ABV) and will be very similar to a properly mixed cocktail. Many bar owners like Martinis, Negronis, and others utilize this technique for cocktails. If the drink is served, it will require more water. You’ll use less water if the drink is served on ice. The amount of dilution you’ll require will range between 20-30 20% (the highest end of that range is the case for cocktails served with ice, and the lower for cocktails served on ice), So my suggestion is to test some batches to figure out the level of dilution that you like.

Pre-diluting shaken cocktails are possible. However, you’ll need to shake the drink to stir the mix to get an exceptionally smooth drink. The advantage is that it doesn’t require adding ice because you’ll have the drink chilled and diluted. If you choose not to mix the drink before serving, you can mix the whole cocktail and shake it up with an ice cube during service. This is my preferred strategy for overall quality; however, you can’t place a value on convenience, so go with what works for your best.

Don’t: Mix perishable components such as egg whites or milk.

There’s not much more than that rule; others don’t do it. It’s disgusting and not working, and I’m not sure if you’d ever want to add these ingredients into your cocktails; however, just in case. Everybody loves a good whisky (or pisco) mixed with egg white. However, they’re best made in small batches or with few batched ingredients. Egg white requires significant shaking to get the desired frothy appearance that it gives cocktails. Batched cocktails aren’t the ideal method for these kinds of drinks.

Don’t: Drink cocktail cocktails batched with citrus for more than two days.

Bartenders reading this may be a bit shocked that the statement is included; however, making a batch of the citrus you can make at home is fine if you set the expectation that your batch will not last longer than two days. Of course, the ideal scenario is that the batched margarita, daiquiri, or gimlet whiskey sour drink should be consumed on the same day you make it, but should you store it in the refrigerator for a few more days, it will still be safe to enjoy it due to the alcohol and syrup which can prolong its shelf-life.

Naturally, grapefruit, orange, and pineapple juices last longer since they’re not as acidic as lemon or lime. So you may get a couple more days from those elements, yet they’ll always be mixed with the more acidic ones to provide equilibrium. If you’d like to make batches of certain ingredients before a couple of days as some bars do to make the margarita, for instance, you’ll need to mix the Tequila and triple sec, and then add citrus after a minute.

3 Batched Cocktail Recipes

Batched Paloma

• 3 cups tequila (like Maestro Dobel Diamante)
• .75 teaspoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon acceptable sea salt 1 teaspoon fine sea
• Grapefruit soda (like Q mixers)

Method:

1. Mix tequila, lime juice, and sea salt in a smaller bowl until you dissolve some salt.
2. To serve the drink, fill a glass with ice. Then pour 3 ounces of the mix and stir it briefly, then garnish with grapefruit soda.
3. Garnish with half of a grapefruit wheel. (Optional salting the rim of glasses with highballs.)

Pre-Diluted Negroni Batch

• 2 cups of gin (like Bombay Sapphire East)
• 1.5 cups sweet vermouth (like Gonzalez Byass La Copa)
• 1.5 cups Campari
• 1 cup of water that is filtered

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients into your preferred container (preferably a glass bottle). Then, store it in the refrigerator until used.
2. Pour the ice into a double glass of rocks to serve. Add the twist of orange.

Batched Airmail

• 2 cups of rum (preferably Denizen Merchant’s Reserve 8 years)
• 1 cup of lime juice
• 1 cup honey syrup (2:1)
• 1 bottle Champagne

Method:

1. Mix all components (except Champagne) Champagne) in the blender. Add the ice in a large amount.
2. Mix until lime juice has frothy and the ice has fully dissolved.
3. In a glass with a highball, make sure to fill it with a tiny amount of Champagne (approximately 1 1/2 ounces) and then add Ice.
4. Pour the mix of ingredients onto your Champagne and ice. Then garnish with mint leaves.