When you’re entertaining guests, you can save yourself time by pre-mixing a big batch of cocktails in a pitcher or beverage dispenser. Everyone gets to serve themselves while you chat and make sure everything else is running smoothly.
And this is really simple to do, even when the drink you want to make doesn’t come with a big batch recipe. Or when the big batch recipes you’ve found are in imperial measurements and you need metric, or the other way around. All you need to do is follow the tips below.
Choosing a pitcher or pitchers
Now that you know the volume of the drinks you need to make in advance, you can determine how large a pitcher (or pitchers) you need to premix. If you know how many ounces your pitcher or beverage server holds, then you just need to make sure you’ve got enough containers to hold the combined total of those drinks (see above).
If you have a pitcher and don’t know how much it holds, here’s a quick and dirty way to figure it out: get a measuring cup, fill it with water, and pour it in the pitcher. Keep doing this until the pitcher is full, marking down each cup as you pour it. Now multiply what your measuring cup holds by the number of times you were able to pour water into the pitcher.
So if your measuring cup holds 4 cups (which the measuring cup tells you is 32 ounces), and it took 2 measuring cups to fill your pitcher, then your pitcher holds 8 cups, which is 64 ounces. If you’re making 16 four ounce cocktails, that’s perfect. If you’re making more, you’ll need another pitcher or a bigger one.
And if you’re doing all this in imperial, your measuring cup will work just as well. Just multiply how many milliliters or liters your measuring cup holds and multiply it by how many times it can fill your pitcher.
Workaround: Instead of trying to calculate the pitchers, you can totally use a great big container like a (very clean) bucket and mix your big batch cocktail in it. Then you pour the mixture into a pitcher, and then another pitcher if needed, and so on.
If all this sounds like too much math, don’t worry – we’ve got another option for you!
Premixing a pitcher of cocktails
You can pre-mix a pitcher of cocktails up to a week before your party, as long as you don’t add ice until you’re ready to serve. If you’re using fresh fruit juice, try to mix it within 24 hours before the party, or no more than 48. It won’t go bad if you do it sooner, but it could possibly lose a little bit of flavor.
We’ve got two options for how to convert cocktail recipe measurements to big batch, and you can use whichever one seems easier to you. Whichever one you use, there are a couple of things to remember:
- Leave out ice until you’re ready to serve, or it’ll dilute the mix. You can even set out an ice bucket and scoop for guests to serve themselves.
- Leave out carbonated ingredients like 7-up, or they’ll go flat. Unless you’re mixing it less than an hour or two before the party. Again, you can leave those ingredients on a table for guests to serve themselves.
- Once you’ve premixed your pitcher, cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator.
Pitcher of Beer Down in 5 Seconds
FAQ
How much alcohol is in a pitcher?
How many ounces of alcohol are in a pitcher?
How many 12 oz beers in a pitcher?
How much does a pitcher hold?
How do you make a pitcher cocktail?
Here are 13 recipes for pitcher cocktails that your guests will love. Dissolve the honey in the warm water by microwaving for 30 seconds. In a pitcher, combine the vodka, honey water, and lemon juice. Add a couple of leaves of basil and 2 dashes of bitters to 4 to 6 mason jars or glasses and muddle with a wooden spoon. Add ice.
What is a pitcher drink?
It’s ideal for quickly making large batches of drinks for summer gatherings. Pitcher drinks are full of fruity flavor and there’s no need to let flavors mingle like you do with fruity sangria. Just pour everything together into a large pitcher or punch bowl and serve! Add fresh fruit to the mixture for added flavor and garnish.
What are the best pitcher-friendly cocktail recipes?
I’m sharing 3 Pitcher-Friendly Cocktail Recipes fit for a crowd! We’ve got Classic Pitcher Margaritas, Strawberry Lemonade Basil Fizz, Peach Elderflower Gin Pitcher, and a Watermelon Mojito Mocktail! You can make them ahead of time, and you don’t have to worry about making a bunch of cocktails, one-by-one, for your guests!
How many bottles of alcohol do you need for a party?
To figure out how many bottles you need, just divide the number of liquor drinks needed by 16. To estimate the amount of mixers needed, figure about 1 quart (1 liter) of tonic water, soda water, or juice for every 3 guests. And don’t forget to round up and, if possible, buy a little more than you think you’ll need.