Batching and Bottling Cocktails

Imagine coming home from a long day of work and reaching into your fridge and instead of reaching for a beer reaching for a bottle that contains your favorite cocktail. Sounds nice right? Sure it does. 

Basically batching a cockail is like baking. You simply multiply the recipe to get the desired quantity. However, there are some steps and guidelines I should cover before beginning:

1. Choosing a cocktail. I would recommend that you do not make a prebatch with juice unless you are absolutely sure you will be going though all of it before it expires. Using spirits (vermouth should be fine for up to a month or so in the fridge) cocktails allows for longer storage life.

2. The math. Make sure you are accurate in your conversions in whatever measurement you are using either in parts or some other volume unit.

3. To dilute or not to dilute? 

a. Diluting the cocktail before bottling can be achieved by exposing the whole batch to ice and treating it like one big cocktail or, my preferrence, adding chilled water is small doses until it tastes right. This option is nice if you have refrigeration space to keep them cold. 

b. Dilute afterwards if you do not have refrigerator space to store your batch cold. You can dilute as much as you need as you want to drink it.

Your choice will depend on the presentation that you desire as well as your access to ice and refrigeration. Either way these options make great gifts if you bottle them individually. Keep that in mind for the upcoming holidays.

As a side note the application behind the bar is pretty obvious. It keeps the drink consistent everytime no matter who makes it or how busy it is.

The Punch Bowl

So, you will forgive my rushing of this video. I wanted to have it out before the holidays and I really was entertaining that night so I literally filmed this thing like an hour before they came over. 

I also forgot to say “nutmeg” when I was listing my spices. This is perhaps the most important which is, of course, why I blanked on it. All that aside though making a punch is a great way to treat your guests to wonderful drink and still be an excellent host. Taking coats, telling jokes and generally making sure everything else is taken care of without standing next to your sink all night making martini’s. Put the bowl out on the dining room table or elsewhere. Watch your friends drift towards the bowl, drift away then come back. All of a sudden there is a group standing around this elegant beverage chatting away and serving themselves and their neighbor. This is how to entertain! 

You can make a hot or cold punch. If you want a hot punch put it in a crock pot. You won’t even have to touch it. Imagine: one giant bowl of hot toddy, mulled wine or some other concoction you come up with. Seriously, try it.

Also for more information on the history of the punch bowl check out Punch by David Wondrich.