Holiday parties are simply incomplete without a nice drink in your hand. Be it an office event, a family gathering, or a "friendsmas" party, drinks that go beyond beer and wine bring parties to the next level - but who wants to hire a bartender or be stuck making individual cocktails all night?
The answer to this festive conundrum is pre-batched cocktails. Made in advance and kept in a bowl or a pitcher in the fridge, they'll be just as good as freshly-made with the following tips:
1. Buy three times as much ice as you think you'll need.
Make sure your guests know where it is, and that they should keep their glasses full of ice at all times.
2. If you're feeling fancy and festive, prepare garnishes in advance.
If you don't have much time to spare, whole mint leaves, citrus wedges, or olives are the way to go. If you want to make classic drink garnishes to step up your cocktail game, try orange or lemon twists, from Bon Appetit, and chiffonaded basil, from The Kitchn.
3. Math and precision are your friends.
When working with high-volume cocktails, don't eyeball. Use a recipe, and scale it up x10, x20, or x100, however many drinks you want to serve.
