Batching cocktails is a tried and tested way to deliver consistent cocktails quickly. Letting you serve more people, more cocktails, more often.

Once you’ve mastered it, you’ll be able to spend more time focusing on guests and giving them a better drinking experience.

Put simply, a batching cocktail is a technique used to help bartenders speed up serving times. Instead of spending time making individual drinks in front of guests, batching cocktails allows you to prepare a larger quantity of cocktails in advance.  

The first step to batching involves choosing a recipe that can easily be scaled without losing its character or taste. Classic and spirit-forward cocktails like Margaritas, Negronis or Mojitos are great choices for batching.

The next step involves deciding how many servings you want to make for your batched cocktail, then multiply the single serve cocktail ingredients accordingly.

For example, if making a batched Margarita for 10 guests, the below demonstrates how you would multiply the ingredients by 10 to ensure you get a consistent, great quality batched cocktail.

From single serve 100ml recipe (serves 1) 

• 50ml tequila 
• 25ml orange liqueur 
• 25ml lime juice 

To batched 1000ml recipe (serves 10) 

• 500ml tequila 
• 25Oml orange liqueur 
• 250ml lime juice 

Bottle batching is a popular technique for bartenders. This simple technique involves storing your cocktail in a sealed bottle and is a perfect option for serving larger groups or for individual dispense to help speed up service.  

Another option is pre-mixing individual cocktails that can be served to a guest with a garnished glass. This is a perfect option for self-service or creating cocktails in jars where a bartender can just add ice, garnish, and serve.

Cocktails are typically diluted with ice. To replicate this in a batch, add water directly to your batched mix. A good rule of thumb is to add 20-25% of the total volume of the batch in water.

Store your batched cocktail in the fridge for a few hours to ensure it’s properly chilled and ready for serving.  Store in clean, air-tight containers with labels so you can clearly see what it is and when it was made.

This is probably an obvious one, but keep any carbonated ingredients i.e. soda water, sparkling wine etc. until you’re serving the drink. This will avoid the drink going flat. 

Like any cocktail serve, make sure your cocktail is served in a cold and clean glass, adding the right garnish to finish off your drink. 

There are lots of great batching recipes that, once you nail them, will be your go to time-saving drinks. Check out these simple recipes to get you started.

• Batching cocktails is a tried-and-tested, efficient technique, used by many bartenders to improve their ways of working. 
• Batching allows you to deliver consistent cocktails quickly, reducing stress on staff and waiting time for guests. 
• There are 5 key steps to batching which include i. choosing a recipe ii. multiplying your ingredients iii. choosing a vessel iv. diluting  v. storing and serving.