Cocktail

21 Big-Batch Cocktails for Stress-Free Entertaining

Step away from your cocktail shaker—if more than a couple of people are having drinks, you need to batch.
Image may contain Glass Drink Beer Alcohol Beer Glass Beverage Cocktail and Goblet
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell

Shaking individual drinks for each person at a party isn’t every host’s idea of fun. Planning ahead with big-batch cocktails means that guests can serve themselves, and the host can actually have a good time too. Below you'll find some of our favorite pitcher cocktails and punches, plus some drinks you can put in a swing-top bottle and stash in your fridge or freezer. (Think of it like meal prepping for happy hour.) There’s something for everyone here, whether you’re looking for cocktails made with gin, whiskey, mezcal, amaro, brandy, or rum.

  • Top view of cranberry cocktail with lemon slices in a large punch bowl.
    Photo by Kelly Puleio
    1/21

    Sneaky Peat

    Our digital director knows a thing or two about batch cocktails—she actually wrote a book about them a few years back. Consider this recipe your free preview: This smoky, tart, and softly-spiced fall drink comes from Laura Newman of Queen’s Park in Birmingham, Alabama. It'd make a perfect Thanksgiving cocktail or holiday punch.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
    2/21

    Scotchy Boulevardiers for a Crowd

    Mix this simple 4-ingredient cocktail and stash it in a quart-size jar in your freezer. If you like to drink a negroni but you're feeling like whiskey, this is the one for you.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
    5/21

    Pomegranate Prosecco Punch

    This easy punch, made with pomegranate juice and lime juice and garnished with clementines, transforms a few bottles of Prosecco into something even more festive.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Kelly Puleio
    6/21

    Islay and Olive

    Martinis are great make-ahead drinks. This variation goes super-savory and briny, pairing vodka with a touch of scotch and olives four ways.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
    7/21

    Aperitif Scorpion Bowls

    Lower-ABV communal drinks are ideal for a mellow and lengthy gathering. This one pairs sweet vermouth and whatever amaro you have, plus bitters and sparkling water.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Alice Gao, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Diana Yen
    8/21

    Champagne Punch with Ginger, Lemon, and Sage

    This sparkling punch, with its aromatic mixture of sage, lemon, and ginger, is refreshing and bright, like a crisp early-winter evening.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photograph by Kelly Puleio
    9/21

    Tingly Pomegranate Rum Punch

    It's not tricky to give this punch its tingle—you just spoon some Sichuan peppercorns into the bottle of rum and let it sit for 24 hours.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
    10/21

    Raspberry and Thyme Hot Toddy Punch

    As winter arrives, you need to start thinking about hot cocktails for a crowd. This warming punch has a touch of raspberry liqueur, plus rye whiskey, fresh lemon juice, and black tea for balance.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Anna Surbatovich, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson
    11/21

    Thanksgiving Sangria

    Combining favorite fall fruits and spices with sparkling cider, rum, and wine gives sangria a refreshing new spin.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Kelly Puleio
    12/21

    Infinity Pool

    The vegetal flavor of celery juice is wonderful paired with fruity, citrusy Lillet, savory mezcal, and a pinch of smoked salt. Garnish the pitcher with extra lemon wheels if you like.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Peden & Munk
    13/21

    Batched Manhattan

    Manhattans for everyone! This classy, no-fuss version of the drink features bourbon, but you can also make it with rye.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott
    14/21

    Under-the-Mistletoe Punch

    This one is an easy sipper: nutty sherry, dry vermouth, cranberry juice cocktail, and tart lemon come together with a simple syrup that's spiced with cloves, cinnamon, and allspice.

    Get This Recipe
  • 15/21

    All She Wrote

    One great thing about some batched cocktails is that you can experiment with aging them. Our digital director kept a jar of this cocktail in her freezer for a year, leaving the bitters to add just before serving. The results? Wildly delicious.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Susan Ottaviano
    16/21

    Jam Session

    The next time you're hanging around a pool with a group of friends, make a pitcher of this super-simple sherry and watermelon cocktail.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Bobbi Lin
    19/21

    Earl Grey–Bourbon Punch

    Honey, thyme, rosemary, and fragrant Earl Grey tea add herbal complexity to this bourbon and brandy punch.

    Get This Recipe
  • Cedric Angeles
    20/21

    The Long Hello

    Looking for ways to use a bottle of Calvados or apple brandy? This softly floral, fizzy punch is perfect for serving a crowd. Feel free to substitute any good-tasting sparkling wine for the Champagne.

    Get This Recipe
  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Simon Andrews
    21/21

    Champagne Punch With Brandy and Citrus

    Fresh mint, lemon, lime, and grapefruit keep this punch from tasting too sweet. When you're looking for batch cocktails you can make ahead, know that you just need to hold off on adding the sparkling wine until just before serving.

    Get This Recipe
The Epicurious editorial team develops original recipes, and publishes stories about cooking better, faster, and more creatively, sustainably, and affordably. See our full masthead, here.
Read More
The Jungle Bird Will Make Your Cocktail Hour Soar
The Jungle Bird Will Make Your Cocktail Hour Soar
This half-century-old tiki drink brings together an unexpected combination of rum, pineapple, and Campari.

Brad Thomas Parsons

Take Your Next Cocktail With a Grain of Salt
Take Your Next Cocktail With a Grain of Salt
When it comes to bitter cocktails, a tiny pinch of salt can curb bitterness and bring out herbaceous, fragrant, punchy flavors.

Al Sotack

The Epicurious Cocktail ABV Calculator
The Epicurious Cocktail ABV Calculator
This calculator below will tell you the ABV—that is, the proportion of pure alcohol a drink contains—of whatever you are sipping.

Maggie Hoffman

The Rules of Riffing: How to Riff on Classic Cocktails (and Get Drinks You’ll Like Even Better)
The Rules of Riffing: How to Riff on Classic Cocktails (and Get Drinks You’ll Like Even Better)
Yes, you can teach an old grog new tricks. 

Maggie Hoffman

When Life Gives You Leftover Wine, Make Vinegar
When Life Gives You Leftover Wine, Make Vinegar
Making your own custom vinegar is as easy as opening a bottle of wine—and not drinking all of it.

Danny Chau

Bring Back the Bizzy Izzy Highball: Why This 100-Year-Old Cocktail Deserves a Revival
Bring Back the Bizzy Izzy Highball: Why This 100-Year-Old Cocktail Deserves a Revival
Made with pineapple, sherry, and rye whiskey, this forgotten cocktail feels remarkably modern.

Al Sotack

This Week’s Most Popular Recipes
These recipes will help guarantee that your first barbecue of the season is a hit.
Our 29 Best July Recipes
Our most popular recipes for the month—plus a few staff picks.