Post #786511 by mikehooker on Thu, May 3, 2018 11:45 AM

Certain drinks don't batch up well. For instance, the Mai Tai requires a certain amount of dilution and aeration from a single serving shake that you can't easily replicate if you're timesing the recipe by 20 and sticking it in a bowl or pitcher. Something like a rum barrel or scorpion on the other hand, you could adjust the recipe according to number of guests you expect. With a recipe that has a lot of spice, bitters, or dominant flavors, you might want to test it with a lower amount those ingredients first and then add more to taste so you don't overdo it and then have to combat that by tweaking everything else.

If you're preparing the batch well in advance of the party, I would advise to wait as long as possible on the citrus like you mentioned, but the other fruit juices and liquors should be fine sitting together for hours (assuming you're keeping it all refrigerated). As party time comes closer, add the citrus and then either blocks, spheres or large shapes of ice to keep it chilled. Using cubes or crushed ice will quickly dilute your punch. The larger the surface area of your ice mold, the longer it'll stay solid without melting. Other options depending on what vessel your punch is delivered in, you could add a ziplock freezer bag of ice directly in it (unappealing, but allows no dilution), or fill a bowl with ice and put your punch bowl on top of that.

What drink were you thinking to batch up?