Batch Cocktails: Make-Ahead Pitcher Drinks for Every Occasion by Maggie Hoffman

Have you ever invited friends over for drinks only to find yourself juggling orders, fumbling among bottles, scrambling to make individual libations? If that scene exhausts rather than inspires, then Maggie Hoffman has a brilliant solution: batch cocktails!

Her latest book features drinks that can be advance-prepared, in two quart pitchers, stored in the fridge, ready to serve. What could be easier? Batching allows the host to assemble the drink hours and even days ahead of time, eliminating the frenzy. No more rifling through (at least in front of guests) the bar in search of bitters or vermouth, or realizing you’re out of amaro. Most of the recipes yield eight to 10 servings, which makes the recipes easy to scale up or down depending on size—and thirst—of your bibulous gathering.

Hoffman has gathered 65 cocktails from her favorite bartenders around the country. While the recipes use mostly familiar and accessible ingredients, I was inspired to pick up a few bottles of new-to-me elements, such as cardamaro, an aperitif that falls between amaro and an olorosso sherry, and the versatile and herbaceous Chartreuse. Now in my arsenal, I’ll find ways to incorporate them before they gather too much dust.

The book offers easy guidance on preparing sugar and honey-based simple syrups vital to many of the recipes; these can be made in advance and stored in a Mason jar in the fridge. Other syrups include a phenomenal spicy ginger made with fresh ginger, red Thai chile pepper and honey; clove-mint; and orange-honey. I also found a tantalizing cranberry-rosemary cordial: gin infused with cranberries, star anise, sugar and rosemary sprigs.

Recipes are organized by flavor profile: herbal and floral, fruity and tart, spicy, savory and smoky, bitter, boozy, and alcohol-free. And in the back, Hoffman kindly suggests cocktails by season and by occasion such as holiday gatherings, elegant dinners, game day, backyard brunch, and engagement party.

The alcohol-free recipes provide a welcome alternative at festive gatherings. The Blaylock seems refreshing and palate-cleansing for brunch, with pink grapefruit juice, honey syrup, lemon juice and seltzer. Turmeric Pineapple is health in a glass, a blend of fresh pineapple juice, lemon juice, honey syrup and plenty of ground turmeric. The Mulled Maroon, an updated twist on the winter classic, offers warmth in a mug thanks to simmered Concord grape and pomegranate juices, fresh ginger, cinnamon, star anise and cardamom pods, served with orange or lemon wheels.

What will I batch up for the holiday season? Thanksgiving will be pitchers of Honey Crisp. This combination of apple brandy, amaro nonino, honey syrup, lemon juice and orange slices plays on the tart sweetness of my favorite cold weather apple. At Christmas, I envision a punch bowl of Sneaky Peat, a garnet beauty of Scotch, deeply steeped oolong tea, cranberry syrup, bitters and lemon juice. Or tumblers of Bardstown, a warming blend of rye, apple brandy, triple sec and orange bitters.

Later in the winter—because I’m not headed to the tropics and certainly can’t wait till next summer—I’ll try the Fya Ball, mixing up a pitcher of Jamaican rum, coconut water, Th ai chile syrup, pineapple and lime juice. Or perhaps Wonderland, a batch of Scotch, absinthe, slices of lemon and lime, and a few star anise pods. And Islay & Olive may lure me to dirty martini land, a combo of top-shelf Scotch, vodka, green olives and orange bitters topped with a whisper of olive oil.

So reclaim happy hour, magically pulling out a beautiful glass pitcher filled with an alluring concoction, and relax with friends instead of feeling relegated to tending the bar. With batched cocktails, guests can sip and compare tasting notes, and an inspired host can even whip up two or three diff erent pre-prandials for a broad sampling of flavors. Hoffman’s book inspires the reader to stretch beyond the standards and explore the wide world of tipples and toddies, prepared in a pitcher. Cheers to that!

Batch Cocktails: Make-Ahead Pitcher Drinks for Every Occasion
Author: Maggie Hoffman | @maggiejhoffman
Photography: Kelly Puleio | @kellypuleio
Ten Speed Press, 2019