Made-in-Advance Cocktails

[Varmint]

I'm hosting a dinner party for 18 people next week, and I want to have a couple of "specialty" cocktails available for my guests. The problem is that I'll be busy working on the dinner and won't actually be able to act as mixologist, and I'm not asking my guests to do that either.

So, I need to come up with two different cocktails that I can pre-mix. I can handle shaking them in a mixer with ice and pouring into a chilled glass (as my guests can do that), but I don't want to do any actual mixing of ingredients when the guests arrive.

Any ideas?

[Chris Hennes]

In DeGroff's "Craft of the Cocktail" book (I think it is this one, anyway...) he talks frequently about "pitcher cocktails" where you add the water directly and chill, rather than shaking with ice. For example, the Manhattan seems to work well this way. You just make up as large a batch as you need in advance, then when your guests arrive all you have to do is pour it into glasses.

Edited January 10, 2008 by Chris Hennes (log)

[mkayahara]

In Gary Regan's Joy of Mixology, there are recipes for bottled versions of the Cosmo, Jack Rose Royale, Manhattan, Margarita, Martini (ca. 1900) and Sidecar DeLuxe. Basically, the principle seems to be that you mix all the ingredients together, add water equal to one-third the total volume of other ingredients, and chill for at least 6 hours.

Alternatively, you could just serve Jello shots!

[Varmint]

Ah, but the rub here is that I'm desiring something new! I guess as long as I'm not using effervescent ingredients or juices that lose their punch, I'd be OK.

[mkayahara]

Ah, but the rub here is that I'm desiring something new!  I guess as long as I'm not using effervescent ingredients or juices that lose their punch, I'd be OK.

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Something new to you, or something new to your guests? Regan's notes for his bottled cocktails suggest that you can do this with pretty much *any* cocktail (except, as you rightly note, those with effervescent ingredients). I don't see any reason you couldn't make up a batch of bottled Aviations or Algonquins or Bronxes, for example. I did just that with the Jasmine at New Year's, although I didn't chill it quite long enough. The key is to include extra water in the formulation to make up for the lack of dilution from ice in "a la minute" cocktails.

Punch might be another option, but I don't really know anything about those.

Edited January 10, 2008 by mkayahara (log)

[slkinsey]

We had several batched cocktails at our wedding party in November, so I have given this some thought. It's a great way to get a top quality cocktail at a place that may not be known for its mixilogical acumen.

If you don't mind shaking them out to order, you can batch just about any cocktail. Just make sure that, if it includes fresh herbs or juices, you don't incorporate those ingredients until just before your party begins. Also, don't forget about punch, which is making a huge comeback. We had a punch at the wedding party, among several other batched cocktails, and it was a huge hit.

If you don't want to go with overly familiar things like a Manhattan, but don't want to stray too far from what people know, I'd suggest something like the Vieux Carré Cocktail (1 oz each good rye whiskey, cognac, and sweet vermouth with a teaspoon of Bénédictine D.O.M. and two dashes each of Angostura and Peuchaud's). It batches well, and goes well over ice in a small rocks glass. If you splurge on a great rye, a VSOP cognac and a great vermouth like Carpano Antica Formula, this can be a decadent drink (we did this one at our wedding party, but were paying enough just to get the room that we could specify tip-top shelf spirits without increasing the bottom line).

Audrey's Tantris Sidecar batches well, and is another drink that's novel enough to be exciting but familiar enough that it's not challenging for non-cocktailians. It's a delicious drink that's widely known for a reason.

The Last Word also batches well, and since it's an "equal parts" cocktail, it's very easy to measure out.

What about a champagne cocktail? A French 75, a Prince of Wales, a Ritz, a Champino, an Old Cuban or a Champagne Apricato are among many champagne cocktails that are easy to make. Just batch and chill the base, then pour into a cocktail (or champagne) glass and top with cold champagne.

[Chris Hennes]

Ah, but the rub here is that I'm desiring something new!  I guess as long as I'm not using effervescent ingredients or juices that lose their punch, I'd be OK.

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Sorry, I misunderstood the "specialty" part - for my friends, a Manhattan *would* be a "specialty" cocktail (i.e. it's not Bud Lite!). I think fruit-juice based cocktails could be made earlier the same day with minimal degradation. Fizz would be more problematic, though, unless you designed it as a mixer added just before serving, but now you're getting away from your original purpose.

[Varmint]

The cocktails should be new to my guests, and I'm guessing we're not talking about regular cocktail drinkers. Citrus/fruit/semi-sweet elements would work better for these folks than pure liquor concoctions.

[JAZ]

I've tried a couple different strategies for my cocktail party classes, where I need to pour out 8 to 16 cocktails at once. I've found that if you're making a drink that's best stirred, like a Manhattan or Martini, Gary Regan's method of adding water (to compensate for the lack of ice melt), chilling and pouring out works fine. But if you're making something that's best shaken (Margarita, Sidecar -- anything with citrus, really), you lose a lot in texture if you don't shake them. So in those cases, I've had better results if I mix a pitcher of the ingredients (without any extra water, or just a little bit), refrigerate it, and then pour and shake over ice to order.

[Fat Guy]

Given the low freezing point of alcohol, what about using the freezer to get the batch really, really cold? If you did six hours in the refrigerator and then an hour in the freezer just before serving you might get good results. I don't know.

[Varmint]

Of course, our stone-aged ABC system doesn't carry green chartreuse or maraschino liqueur. Damn, I hate this state-controlled distribution system.

[mkayahara]

Of course, our stone-aged ABC system doesn't carry green chartreuse or maraschino liqueur.  Damn, I hate this state-controlled distribution system.

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FWIW, Ontario's liquor system doesn't carry maraschino either, nor any applejack or straight rye. Chartreuse (green only; no yellow) costs $30 for a half-bottle, and Bourbon starts at $45 a bottle, unless you're drinking Jim Beam White.

Uh... not to take this thread too far off track. Rant over.

Edited January 10, 2008 by mkayahara (log)

[Alchemist]

What you are talking about is referred to as "batching" in the industry. It is easy as pie. You can do it with almost ant cocktail that strikes your fancy.

First take your intended recipe and make it big. The easy way to do this is turn cup into cups so…

Casino

2 oz Beefeater gin.

¾ cup Fresh squeezed lemon juice (strained)

½ oz Luxardo Marachino

¼ oz Simple syrup.

3 dashes Regans Orange bitters #6

Becomes…

2 cups Beefeater gin.

¾ cup Fresh squeezed lemon juice (strained)

½ cup Luxardo Marachino

¼ cup Simple syrup.

9-12 dashes Regans Orange bitters #6

Be careful of with the bitters. Like most powerful flavors -chili oil for example- the amount does not coincide with the other ingredients in volume. Start with 9 dashes (with the same “hand” as if you are making a drink. For some reason when building in a picture people tend to shake the bottle harder.) and taste after every shake. This is your base. Shake ½ a cocktail up and taste it, then adjust. Trust your palette. If it is too sweet add an oz. of lemon juice, if too tart drizzle in a bit of simple syrup.

If you have 5 1/2 oz classes donate 3 oz (to account for water content) to your shaker, shake, strain and you should have the proper wash line. You don’t need a garnish with a Casino.

I would double (or quadruple) above proportions if I was having a party of 16-18, but I hang out with NYC bartenders, and as everyone knows they are notoriously a bunch of lushes.

[Chris Hennes]

What you are talking about is referred to as "batching" in the industry.  It is easy as pie.  You can do it with almost ant cocktail that strikes your fancy.

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Do you have any thoughts on the texture question brought up above? Any special treatment for drinks with citrus juice in them, that are typically shaken rather than stirred?

[Alchemist]

I'm not sure I understand the question.

[Chris Hennes]

If you have 5 1/2 oz classes donate 3 oz  (to account for water content) to your shaker, shake, strain and you should have the proper wash line. You don’t need a garnish with a Casino.

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I'm not sure I understand the question.

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My mistake - I missed the bit about shaking the drink before serving it. I was imagining mixing up the ingredients and chilling, then just pouring directly into glassware, which is obviously going to give the drink a different texture than if it were shaken with ice.

[bostonapothecary]

i'm doing an event for two to three hundred... and the weather is iffy... and i'm supposed to have three cocktails...

i was planning on batching, diluting with water and chilling... then just pouring over ice...

the booze is pretty premium stuff and the party is on a tight budget. besides my large starter batch i was gonna have someone in the kitchen mixing the future necessary batches and hoping to deploy them in 15 minutes...

i was gonna mix, dilute with some chilled water then stir the batches in a large metal "shaker" without ice that sat in a larger bucket with salted ice water... i thought i could get a batch chilled pretty quick and waste very little booze with the unpredictable nature of the party size...

two of the drinks should be stirred but the third drink should be shaken so i am gonna serve it from a large pitcher that i agitate with a malt mixer to get shaken texture...

it seems like i'm taking huge amount of artistry out of the picture with all the prep but the party is more about the blues band and relative to the size of the crowd there is not a huge amount of space to get a drink...

i hope it works out...

[Chris Hennes]

two of the drinks should be stirred but the third drink should be shaken so i am gonna serve it from a large pitcher that i agitate with a malt mixer to get shaken texture...

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That's clever - I was thinking of trying an immersion blender or something along those lines. Have you done it that way before? How does it compare to manually shaking the drinks?

[Alchemist]

If you go to Bloodbath & Beyond (or something like it) and get PLASTIC pichers that have a good seal to them you can shake a Liter (aprox. 10 cocktails) of cocktails at a time. You can even do eggwhite drinks -but you have to cut back on the eggwhite to 3-5 [p/Ltr] depending on the size-and get great texture. Best to cover lid with a towel just in case.

[bostonapothecary]

two of the drinks should be stirred but the third drink should be shaken so i am gonna serve it from a large pitcher that i agitate with a malt mixer to get shaken texture...

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That's clever - I was thinking of trying an immersion blender or something along those lines. Have you done it that way before? How does it compare to manually shaking the drinks?

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i'd say its even better... great for egg whites... so frothy... it doesn't seem to break down any more ice than shaking either... you get a very cold drink. whether it's quality will scale to a pitcher i dont know yet...

[eje]

Two batched cocktails I've made in the past are the Brazilian Daiquiri from Mark Miller's Coyote Cafe Cookbook and Chuck Taggert's Mother-In-Law Cocktail.

To make the Brazilian Daiquiri (it's probably really a punch) you just cut up a whole pineapple, pour over 3 cups of amber rum (say Mount Gay Eclipse) and add a split vanilla bean and 3 tablespoons of brown sugar (or piloncillo). Let this stand at room temperature for a couple days, strain out the pineapple, and add the strained juice of two limes. You can either chill it in the freezer and serve it as shots (Miller's suggestion), or shake with ice to order with maybe a splash more lime (my preference.) Garnish by skewering the alcohol soaked pineapple pieces along with a cherry on a pick.

Edited January 11, 2008 by eje (log)

[jsmeeker]

for the original poster..

A few months ago, I played bartender for a bunch of friends in an attempt to get people to drink something different than a bottle of beer, a Jack and Coke, or a Jell-O shot. I had the most success with the Sidecar. It's pretty approachable, it seems, for people new to good cocktails. FWIW, I used E&J VSOP brandy. Widely available at a price that won't bust the budget.

I made all them to order as needed, but if I were to batch them, I too would go with the mix in advance and then shake to order. Seeing a drink shaken seems more "right" than having it simpy poured into a glass from a pitcher like one would pour a child a glass of apple juice.