How do I make drinks for a party?
Batching cocktails, quantities per person, and how to serve a group without spending the evening behind a bar.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 1 hr
- Read
- 2 min
- Safety
- caution
Short answer
Batch one or two drinks in advance rather than making them to order. Pre-mix everything except ice and anything fizzy, add about 20% water for the dilution shaking would have provided, and chill the batch thoroughly. Always provide a good non-alcoholic option.
Making cocktails individually for a group means you spend the evening mixing. Batching solves it, and the only technical point is that a batched drink needs the dilution added deliberately, because it will not get it from ice in a shaker.
Safety
What you'll need
- Large bottles or jugs
- Measuring jug
- Fridge or ice bucket space
- Plenty of ice
- Labels (optional)
Step by step
- Choose one or two batchable drinks rather than offering everything.Stirred drinks and simple sours batch well. Anything needing egg white or muddled fresh herbs does not.
- Estimate two to three drinks per person for the first two hours, then one an hour.Err slightly high on soft drinks and slightly low on spirits.
- Scale the recipe up, keeping the ratios exact.Work in the same units throughout. A measuring jug is easier than counting individual measures.
- Add about 20% water to the batch.This replaces the dilution that shaking or stirring with ice would have provided. Without it the drink is harsh.
- Leave out anything fizzy until serving.Soda, prosecco and tonic go in per glass, or the whole batch goes flat.
- Chill the batch thoroughly — several hours in the fridge or a bucket.A cold batch needs less ice in the glass, so it dilutes less as people drink.
- Set up a self-serve station with ice, glasses and garnishes.It removes you from behind the bar, which is the actual point of batching.
- Make a proper non-alcoholic option, not just soft drinks.A batched mocktail with real structure — acid, bitterness, aroma — rather than juice. It matters more than people assume.
Tips
- Batched stirred drinks keep in the freezer and pour straight out. The alcohol content stops them freezing solid.
- Fresh citrus juice loses brightness within about a day, so juice it on the day rather than in advance.
- Label batches with what is in them and roughly how strong they are. Guests appreciate knowing.
Common mistakes
- Not adding dilution to a batch — Shaking or stirring with ice normally adds around 20% water. Without it the batched drink is harsh and unbalanced.
- Adding fizzy ingredients to the batch — It goes flat. Top up per glass at serving.
- Offering only soft drinks as the non-alcoholic option — A well-made non-alcoholic drink makes a real difference to guests who are not drinking.
Questions people ask
How much water should I add to a batched cocktail?
About 20% of the total volume, which approximates the dilution that shaking or stirring with ice provides. Without it the drink tastes harsh and unbalanced.
How many drinks should I plan per person?
Roughly two to three in the first two hours and one an hour after. Provide generous non-alcoholic options and food alongside.