Be Careful When Adding This Type Of Ingredient To Batch Cocktails

There's a time and a place for mixing up batch cocktails, like when you're hosting a party and don't want to have to have guests (or the host) tied to the drink station mixing beverages all night. But you definitely don't want to just throw all ingredients in a large pitcher or punch bowl and hope they hold up. 

Certain ingredients and add-ins you'll want to wait to add, lest they wilt, turn soggy, or lose their flavor and texture as they sit. Specifically, any fresh fruit or herbs will lose their luster after hours floating in liquid, so set them aside to be added as needed to each individual drink, or plan to refresh them as the party wears on. 

Chowhound spoke with Katherine Lewin about the matter. Lewin, the founder of Big Night, a curated shop for dinners and parties, collaborated with Maker's Mark on a zine about hosting cocktail parties — and knows how to be the hostess slash mixologist with the mostest. Lewin advises to keep ingredients at a minimum when making a batch cocktail — stick to the classics, rather than overly elaborate libations with all sorts of fancy, fussy add-ins. Think margaritas, palomas, old fashioned, and other top candidate cocktails to make in big batches. "Keep batch cocktails simple!" is her golden rule, and warns that any fresh fruit is notoriously bad at holding up over time. 

At a party, no one wants to have to wait in a line for each drink, or be the one mixing up each person's drink order individually. So when you're looking to cut down on the work but still serve cocktails versus just wine or beer at an event, batching just makes sense. Heeding Katherine Lewin's advice to choose more simplistic drinks to batch is your best bet, since anything that leans on dairy ingredients, muddled fruit, carbonated bubbles, or fresh fruit can degrade in flavor and texture over the hours.

Of course you can top off batched cocktails with fruit as a garnish, but add berries or slices of citrus right before serving, says Lewin. One exception would be making a sangria, which relies on chopped fruit designed to macerate for hours. You also want to consider dilution when making a bulk batch. Since individual cocktails are served over ice which then melts and waters down the drink slightly, you need to account for this when making pitcherfuls, either by adding water and ice, or just water. 

Looking for a place to start? Lewin loves an after dinner "dessert" cocktail, mixed up well ahead of time so no one has to head back to the kitchen to prepare anything else after the main course. "The Hanky Panky is one of my favorites to batch, and a Maker's Mark Old Fashioned would work super nicely, too."