Cocktail Batch Calculator

How the calculator works

A batch is the single-drink recipe multiplied by the number of drinks.

batch amount = amount in one drink x number of drinks

Paste the recipe for one drink, one ingredient per line, and enter how many you are making. The calculator multiplies each line and shows it in fluid ounces and in milliliters. It then adds up the liquid to give the total volume and how many 750 milliliter bottles that is.

In drink recipes “oz” always means fluid ounces, a measure of volume, and the calculator reads it that way. You can also write amounts in milliliters, teaspoons, tablespoons or cups. Lines without a volume, such as “2 dashes bitters”, are multiplied as a count.

Worked example

A margarita for one:

• 2 oz tequila
• 1 oz lime juice
• 3/4 oz triple sec

For 12 drinks:

• Tequila: 2 x 12 = 24 oz (710 ml)
• Lime juice: 1 x 12 = 12 oz (355 ml)
• Triple sec: 0.75 x 12 = 9 oz (266 ml)

Total: 45 ounces, or 1,331 milliliters. The tequila alone is 710 milliliters, so one 750 milliliter bottle covers it. The lime juice, at 12 ounces, takes a bag of limes, so buy more than you think.

From ounces to bottles

Shopping happens in bottles, not ounces. A standard spirits bottle is 750 milliliters, which is about 25.4 fluid ounces.

• At 1 oz per drink: about 25 drinks per bottle
• At 1 1/2 oz per drink: about 17 drinks
• At 2 oz per drink: about 12 drinks

The calculator gives the total batch in bottles. For shopping, look at each line: the milliliters beside each ingredient tell you how many bottles of that one thing to buy. Round up. A short bottle is the one thing you cannot fix once guests have arrived.

The ice question

When a bartender shakes or stirs a drink, the ice chills it and some of it melts into the drink. That water is part of the recipe, even though it is not on the ingredient list. It softens the alcohol and brings the flavors together.

A batch mixed in a jug and poured over ice later has not had that step. You have two ways to deal with it:

• Stir or shake each serving. Keep the batch cold and undiluted, and pour each portion over ice in a shaker or mixing glass as you serve.
• Add water to the batch. Stir in some cold water, chill the batch thoroughly, and serve it straight into glasses. Start with a small amount, taste, and add more until it tastes like a finished drink.

The calculator’s total is before any ice or added water, so leave room in the jug.

What batches well

Spirit-forward drinks such as a Negroni, Manhattan or Old Fashioned are the easiest. They contain nothing that spoils quickly and can be mixed a day or more ahead and kept cold.

Citrus drinks such as margaritas, daiquiris and sours batch well for a party, but the juice is best fresh. Mix the spirits and sweeteners ahead and add the juice on the day.

Anything with bubbles should not be batched whole. Mix the still ingredients, and top each glass with the sparkling wine, soda or tonic as you serve.

Egg white and cream drinks are better made to order.

Tips and common mistakes

Measure the batch with a jug, not a jigger. Twenty-four ounces is three cups. Measuring it one ounce at a time invites a miscount.

Write the batch recipe down. Halfway through pouring is a bad time to work out whether you have added the triple sec.

Keep it cold. A batch in the fridge or on ice needs less dilution in the glass, and tastes better.

Label the jug. Note what is in it and whether it still needs juice, water or a topper.

Plan the garnishes separately. Limes for wheels, salt for rims and ice for glasses are not in the recipe, and running out of ice ends a party faster than running out of tequila.