Just because you’re playing the host doesn’t mean you should be stressing over every element of the night, and something as merry-making as holiday drinks should be easy and fun for you, not just your guests.
Enter batch cocktails. When you make your holiday drinks in a batch, you save time on preparing the drinks, and you can focus on enjoying your guests rather than constantly mixing up new drinks.
For Carly Witmer and her husband Hugh Kelly, whipping up batch cocktails are a must when they’re serving 100 to 175 wedding guests at a cash bar. And with more than 25 combined years in the service and bartending industry, the Pleasant Hill couple knows a thing or two about creating delicious, unique drinks that don’t have to be made individually.
As Witmer and Kelly expand their event bartending company, Craft Event Bar, Witmer shared her biggest tips for creating batch cocktails:
• Not every cocktail should be batched
Classic high balls, like this blood orange gin and tonic from Winds Cafe, may not be the best idea to make a batch cocktail. VIVIENNE MACHI / STAFF
"Anything that contains egg (think of the Pisco Sour) or fizzy sodas won’t batch well, unless it’s eggnog. Get around the soda issue by placing the ‘fizzy’ component of the drink on the side, and having guests top the cocktail to their liking, or you can add the soda or champagne just before the party starts. Classic highballs, such as gin and tonic or scotch and soda, frankly aren’t worth the effort to batch."
• Get a lot of mileage out of 'Simplex' Syrups
"A creative and well-executed simplex (simple-complex) syrup can add a burst of flavor and sweetness to your cocktail, and is nothing more than equal parts water and sugar combined through heat or rapid integration in a high-powered blender. Add any number of fruits, fruit juices, herbs and/or spices to this combination-just be sure to strain the resulting syrup through a fine mesh strainer or coffee filter before adding it to your cocktail."
• Mix your ingredients cold
"Try to store your ingredients in the refrigerator, liquor in the freezer, before mixing into your batch. This will keep the drink colder for longer without melting too much ice."
• Add a little water to balance flavor and add bulk
Craft Event Bar owner Carly Witmer pours chamomile tea into her King's Crown batch cocktail. VIVIENNE MACHI / STAFF
"Since a batch cocktail won’t be shaken or stirred with ice, and you want a consistently good cocktail for a few hours of service, add some water. You can do this by adding water itself. The proportion should ideally be measured by weight. Or you can add water-full ingredients such as tea or infused waters that will add flavor, as well as polish. Tea is a particularly popular addition, and provides a wealth of options in terms of flavor. Water infused with herbs or fruit takes a little more time, and adds light flavor without sweetness."
• Think about ice
"You simply cannot throw a bunch of small ice cubes into a batch for obvious reasons. Big ice cubes are a must: a single large cube is the best route. Before you choose the shape of your cube, think of how you will serve your drink. A large ring is the most elegant way to chill a bowl, but might not fit into a decanter. For a decanter, consider a big block or sphere. You can find an abundance of ice molds online, but you probably have a reasonable container already. Use a bundt pan for rings, or a tupperware container for blocks. Distilled water freezes with the most clarity."
• Garnish the batch, not the glass
The Blushing Bride batch cocktail by Craft Event Bar. JIM WITMER / CONTRIBUTED
"One of my favorite cocktails to garnish is a champagne and rose water batch that we made for a recent bride at Canyon Run Ranch. Since it was a deep pink drink served in a decanter, we floated three huge pink roses in full bloom on the surface, filling the jar to the top with their petals. We set the decanter in a bed of roses, so we could pluck petals to float on individual drinks. My favorite way to decorate a batch in a bowl is by decorating the ice. Not only does this chill the drink and make things pretty, it also prevents garnishments from being scooped out of the bowl. Try a ring of ice frozen in a fancy bundt pan: start by scattering your desired fruits, herbs, spices, and/or nuts into the pan, then fill it with 2 inches or so of distilled water."
• Modify your recipes for a batch by proportions
"Instead of scaling your ingredients up by complicated math and conversions, think of all ingredients as a ‘part’. As a rule of thumb, I like to mix one part liquor with two parts or more of non-alcoholic or low-alcohol mixers. These parts can be easily divided to accommodate very flavorful components such as tart fruit juice or sweet syrups. An example would be: 1 part vodka, 1 part orange juice, 1/2 part orange pekoe tea, and 1/2 part lemon juice. There is only one thing to remember: each ‘part’ is equal to the other."
Learn more about Craft Event Bar and try more recipes via crafteventbar.com.
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