Batch the cocktails for your next gathering, and you can be part of the fun, too

Let’s face it: Making cocktails for a crowd is quite easy, but executing multiple different drinks over and over can be a tedious chore, especially when you want to enjoy the fun, too. The solution? Bottle these crowd pleasers in advance of your next party or backyard barbecue.

Your guests will be blown away with your attention to detail and this fun way of serving iconic cocktails.

You can find fancy bottles with swing tops at specialty stores around town, order them online or hit the recycle bin. The key is finding bottles that suit your serving size. You could use any vessel from a small mason jar to a recycled beer bottle. And if you don’t feel like bottling the drink, you could just use a fountain, punch bowl or drink dispenser instead.

Just be sure you have a properly fitting lid, so your cocktails won’t leak. I bought myself a crown capper from a home brew store and now use beer caps to seal my cocktails. Keep them refrigerated until you’re ready to serve, and remember that non-carbonated, spirit-only drinks like the Negroni will last at least a month; drinks with fruit juice, up to a week; and carbonated beverages only a day or two at most.

Then apply custom labels, tie ribbons around the neck or paint the bottles with cool designs to take this DIY project to another level.

Here are some of my favourite summer recipes to batch up in style. And next time the crowds roll in, just toss ’em a cold one—minds blown!

Make these big-batch cocktails at your next gathering:
French 75 Royale
Negroni
Margarita
Sangria Rosé

—by Justin Taylor