The Best Batch Cocktails for your Wedding!!
For weddings with a tight alcohol budget we recommend Batch Cocktails. That means specialty drinks that require no muddling, no flames, no egg white frothing, no “rinses,” no blended drinks. Basically drinks that can be made ahead of time. The key is to create a cocktail base that you can make in a large batch, and then on the day of your wedding, your bartender just needs to shake your mix with ice, pour, and garnish.
To batch your cocktail it’s a matter of multiplication and a couple of special supplies. First, look at your cocktail recipe, and multiply the recipe by the number of cocktails you want to provide. Keep in mind, most cocktail recipes are simple ratios. This is where the special equipment comes in. You’ll need the following:
Large (4 quart or more) liquid measure pitcher.
Stirring spoon
Funnel
Storage vessel (Clean bottles, juice pitcher, carafe, anything you can store your drinks in at your bar.)
Your standard four-quart pitcher will hold 128 ounces at a time, so you’ll mix together four smaller batches to serve a hundred cocktails.
Below are examples batch cocktails we have suggested with past clients:
BROOKLYN
1 oz dry vermouth
.25 oz maraschino liqueur
.25 oz AmerPicon
FOR 100 COCKTAILS, YOU NEED
2 oz x 100 = 200 oz rye or other whiskey
1 oz x 100 = 100 oz dry vermouth
.25 oz x 100 = 25 oz maraschino liqueur
.25 oz x 100 = 25 oz AmerPicon
Fill your large pitcher with 50 ounces of rye or other whiskey. Then add 25 ounces of dry vermouth, then 6.25 ounces of maraschino liqueur and 6.25 ounces of AmerPicon. Stir your concoction, and taste it to make sure it tastes right. If it’s not quite right, adjust to taste. (Pro tip: make yourself a single serving of the cocktail before you start, and tweak it till you get the proportions the way you want them. That way you’ll have a standard to aim for with your big batch.) Give the whole thing one last good stir, and then use your funnel to fill each carafe (leave a little space at the top). Repeat three more times. Be sure to taste each batch as you go.
Keep your vessels in a refrigerator or on ice at your bar, until cocktail hour. Be sure to provide either a stirring spoon for your bartenders, or make sure that your storage vessels can be shaken without leaking. Your mix can settle and will definitely need a shake-up before it is poured out. After that, your bartenders can just add your mix to a cocktail shaker with ice, pour it, and serve!
MINT JULEP
2 oz bourbon
1 oz mint simple syrup
2 oz soda water
FOR 100 COCKTAILS YOU NEED
200 oz bourbon
100 oz mint simple syrup
200 oz soda water
TO MAKE MINT SIMPLE SYRUP
Bring a 1:1 ratio of sugar and water to a boil. Simmer for ten minutes, dissolving the sugar, then remove from the heat. For every cup of water, add one bunch of mint. Steep for twenty minutes, strain, and refrigerate.
BEE’S KNEES
2 parts gin
3/4 part lemon juice
3/4 part honey simple syrup
FOR 100 COCKTAILS YOU NEED
200 oz gin
75 oz lemon juice
75 oz honey simple syrup
TO MAKE HONEY SIMPLE SYRUP
Bring a 1:1 ratio of honey and water to a boil. Simmer for ten minutes, dissolving the honey, then remove from the heat. Refrigerate.
GARNISH: A lemon twist or lemon wheel.
MOJITO
1.5 oz white rum
.5 oz mint simple syrup
.5 oz lime juice
1 oz soda water
FOR 100 COCKTAILS YOU NEED
150 oz white rum
50 oz mint simple syrup
50 oz lime juice
100 oz soda water
TO MAKE MINT SIMPLE SYRUP
Bring a 1:1 ratio of sugar and water to a boil. Simmer for ten minutes, dissolving the sugar, then remove from the heat. For every cup of water, add one bunch of mint. Steep for twenty minutes, strain, and refrigerate.
