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While they’ve been popping up in trendy bars everywhere lately (ever had a negroni on tap?), the truth is batched cocktails are nothing new in the world of entertaining. In fact, group cocktails are one of the most classic ways to serve up the good stuff.

Think of your grandmother’s crystal punch bowl at family gatherings or sharing a pitcher of margs with your friends on Taco Tuesday. Batch cocktails are an excellent way to add ease to entertaining so you can kick back, relax, and enjoy a stress-free evening.

Plus, they taste great! Batching cocktails means all those tasty flavors have time to get together and mingle, producing great results with less work. It’s a pretty great two for one deal.

Absolutely! In fact, that’s one of the best things about big batch cocktails: they’ll let you do entertaining on easy mode.

If you’re batching cocktails in advance to serve a crowd, step one is mixing up your shelf-stable ingredients in a large container in your fridge. Feel free to chill any mixers, like juice or club soda, and if you have large batch garnishes to prep, you can do those in advance as well.

The day of your party, finish off your large batch cocktails with those sodas, juices, and garnishes. Then kick back and enjoy your evening!

The most important thing when batching cocktails for your party is to prepare ahead of time. After all, batching is all about keeping the day of your event stress-free. Mixing your ingredients beforehand lets you kick back on the day of the party and maybe do a little taste testing!

The second most important tip is to make sure all your ingredients are properly mixed. Blend them together in a container large enough for generous stirring before you transfer to a smaller closed container for storage.

You really don’t need any special tools for mixing batched cocktails, but there are a few things that are helpful to have on hand:

• A large covered jar for storage
• A serving container like a pitcher or punch bowl
• A funnel for decanting your cocktails
• A liquid measuring cup for measuring
• A long-handled spoon for mixing
• A jigger for measuring smaller amounts of ingredients

• 1 bottle (750 ml) of Locke + Co Aspen Aged Rye
• 187 ml of dry vermouth
• 187 ml of sweet vermouth
• Combine in beverage dispenser or carafe
• Pour into glass filled with 1 large ice cube or serve up
• Add 2 dashes of orange bitters
• Garnish with a cherry or orange twist

• 1 bottle (750 ml or a little more than 3 cups) of Locke + Co Aspen Aged Rye
• 1.5 cups (355 ml) of St. Germain
• 1/2 cup (118 ml) of simple syrup
• 1.5 cups (355 ml) of lime juice
• 2 cups (473 ml) of apple juice
• Combine in beverage dispenser or carafe
• Pour into glass filled with ice
• Top each individual glass with 3/4oz of Champagne
• Stir for 10 seconds 
• Garnish with a slice of apple (if you have it)

• 2 bottles (750 ml) of Locke + Co Aspen Aged Rye
• 1 bottle of Strong Water Old Fashioned Cocktail Syrup (8oz)
• Combine in beverage dispenser or carafe
• Pour into glass filled with 1 large ice cube
• Add 2 dashes of bitters (we like black walnut, cherry, or any type of citrus)
• Garnish with a cherry or a lemon twist

• 1 bottle tequila 
• 400 ml Cointreau
• 300 ml freshly squeezed lime juice
• 100 ml agave syrup 
• Garnish with lime wheels

• 1 bottle vodka
• 375 ml grapefruit juice
• Garnish with grapefruit wheels

• 1 bottle mezcal or tequila
• 500 ml grapefruit juice
• 250 ml lime juice
• 100 ml simple syrup
• 250 ml club soda
• Garnish with grapefruit wheels

Rye whiskeys must adhere to strict legal requirements to distinguish themselves from other whiskey styles. 

First, there’s the rye itself—regulations (and tradition) state that over half the mash bill must be rye. Producers supplement their rye with other grains and starches to provide the sugars necessary to kick off fermentation, including wheat, malted barley, or corn. 

The liquor produced by this mash can’t be mixed with any other spirits to be considered pure rye. 

Then there’s the time it takes to make it. 

That initial liquor produced by the fermented wort is extracted and diluted to around 125 proof before aging, as certified rye whiskey can’t be higher than 160 proof. To create straight rye, producers need to account for at least two years of maturation, which helps create a rich, complex liquor.

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Bourbon is strongly linked with Kentucky, which produces around 95% of the juice on the market, but the rye world is a little loosy-goosy. And in our opinion, that’s a good thing!

Historically midwestern states like Indiana and Pennsylvania were known for their ryes. Still, these days a lot of the action is happening out west, in states like Colorado, Wyoming, and California, which are gaining attention for their growing small-batch distillery movements.

If you’re someone who likes your rye handcrafted and carefully brewed, the west is a great bet.

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• Kentucky or Straight Rye

Based on the classic 51% blend, this full-bodied and spicy rye style is sometimes called “barely legal” rye whiskey since it contains a minimum percentage of the grain. 

• Pennsylvania or Monongahela Rye

With little or no corn in the mash, this style is a big whiskey with notes of warm spices that captures all the tasting notes of a classic rye recipe.

• Maryland Rye

A corn-based mash makes this rye style extra sweet. They were fortified in the old days with fruit juices and prunes for sugary appeal.

• Indiana Rye

A high level of rye in the mash (up to 95%) is big on flavor, with cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla notes.

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