Pitcher Cocktails With Rum

Craft cocktails are perfect for nights out, but when you’re throwing a party you might want to ditch perfection in favor of spending more time with your guests. Big batch cocktails stirred up and served up in crowd-sized containers take the pressure off making sure everyone has a drink and let you enjoy yourself. They’re also just as tasty as single cocktails.

I love a fancy cocktail set on fire in front of my face, or topped with delicate egg foam, or layered in the beautiful colors of a rainbow, but when I’m hosting a party I already have enough to think – and stress – about. Are there enough appetizers? Is there music? What’s for dinner? Will everyone get along? What did I spill on myself and why is the doorbell ringing when I need to go put on a new dress? You understand…

How to Set Up Your Bar Cart

Now, just because you aren’t serving up single drinks doesn’t mean you don’t need to set up a bar cart. And just because you need a bar cart doesn’t mean you need an actual cart. We don’t all have room for such things. A table or the corner of a counter works just fine. What’s important is what’s available, and you don’t need much.

Ice – lots and lots of ice. You’ll want to put a little ice in your pitcher but it will melt and these cocktails will go better with ice in the glasses.

Water – everyone has different tolerances for strong drinks so give them the option to water theirs down. Also, keeping people hydrated is a good thing, so put out some drinking glasses just for the water. Include a carafe of plain, iced water and offer some good sparkling waters.

Garnishes – most cocktails benefit from garnishes and some are necessary to enhance the drink, like lemon slices for the Rummy Lemonade drink below, or limes for just about everything. Maraschino cherries are always popular. Since these drinks are rum based, any kind of fruit garnish is going to work. Thread some pineapple slices on cocktail skewers.

Accoutrements – Napkins, cocktail skewers and stirrers, long spoons, straws, paper umbrellas, glassware

Recipes

I’m offering up five batch cocktail recipes here. I’d recommend serving two different cocktails. The assumption is that you’ll have some other drinks as well at your party, like beer, wine and hard ciders. Different people, different tastes. While I keep calling them pitcher cocktails, you don’t actually have to serve them up in pitchers. Carafes, large jars, and repurposed glass bottles all work, as do large bowls or fancy punch bowls with ladles. Just make sure you label each cocktail with the ingredients so people know what they’re getting and you don’t have to stay by the bar to explain.

There are no instructions for the separate recipes because the only thing you need to do is add all the ingredients to your pitcher and mix them up well. Store the pitchers in the refrigerator until the drink is cold and you’re ready to serve. No ice needed because you’re offering it on the side.

Rummy Lemonade

4 cups lemonade

2-1/2 cups spiced rum

½ cup lime juice

2/3 cup Licor 43

2/3 cup grenadine syrup

2/3 cup water

Garnish with lemon slices

Pimm’s Lemonade

1 cup frozen concentrated lemonade, thawed

1 bottle Pimm’s No. 1 (750 ml)

1-1/2 cups dark rum

3 cups water

Garnish with lemon slices and mint leaves

Scorpion

2-1/2 cups light rum

2-1/2 cups orange juice

1-1/2 cups lemon juice

1-1/2 cups brandy

½ cup Amaretto

Garnish with orange slices

Hurricane

2-1/2 cups passionfruit juice

2 cups dark rum

2 cups light rum

2 cups orange juice

1 cup lime juice

¼ cup grenadine syrup

Garnish with maraschino cherries and orange slices

Daiquiri

1 bottle light rum (750 ml)

1-1/2 cups lime juice

1 cup water

½ cup sugar

Garnish with lime slices