How To Prep Cocktails Ahead For Stress-Free Hosting

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Hosting can be incredibly satisfying. It's fun to welcome people into your home, especially if it's to celebrate an occasion with those you love. However, the whole process can also be extremely stressful. The shopping lists, meal prep, and cleaning — it can be a lot. One thing you can do to make life easier is get your cocktail bar ready ahead of time.

Tasting Table asked Chelsea Fagan, author and co-founder of The Financial Diet, for her expert advice ahead of the launch of her new book, "Having People Over." She recommends organizing stations for ice, garnishes, and pre-batched drinks. "So many otherwise-great parties are brought down several notches by a lack of ice," says Fagan. "I also like to label everything on my drink station so people know what they're getting, and I make sure there is at least one non-alcoholic batched drink that people can choose to spike or not."

Slicing fresh ingredients to elevate simple syrups and garnishes is another major time-saver, and doing so can help you batch non-alcoholic drinks. Fagan likes to set out a garnish station for guests, and it's ideal if these ingredients can be used to create a batched drink. "It can be very low-effort, but even just juicing some lemons, adding a nice infused simple syrup (ideally one you made yourself), and putting it into a pitcher with some water means you have a signature homemade beverage for the evening," she says.

Batch-making cocktails can save a lot of time, but it needs to be done correctly. There are calculators available online for scaling drink recipes, or you can make one cocktail for testing and do some math. Another trick is to use one cup for every ounce in a normal cocktail recipe. However, batched cocktails need to be diluted to make up for the lack of ice, so make sure to add some water.

It's a good idea to prepare enough for about four drinks per guest, or estimate based on time. Chelsea Fagan says, "Plan by hours, assuming people will average one to two drinks (not counting water) for every hour that they stay at your home." Some cocktails batch better than others, such as a smooth old fashioned or classic Negroni cocktail. Think stirred versus shaken, and nothing with egg whites, soda, or fresh citrus to avoid any bubbles deflating or juice turning bitter. 

"I typically like a pre-made punch-style drink — often one that you can top with a little fresh seltzer or champagne," says Fagan. "Something that is mostly already done, but gets a little flourish at the end to feel special." She loves a cherry basil smash made with fresh cherry juice, basil simple syrup, and lemon juice, topped with seltzer. This can be served without alcohol, but guests can add either gin or vodka to their own glass to make it a cocktail.

People will add different amounts of ice to their glasses, which will make a difference to the serving size. Put out smaller glasses to compensate — you don't want anyone to accidentally serve themselves three cocktails at once. Straight-sided glasses work best to avoid spillage, and do yourself a favor and make sure they're dishwasher-friendly. Avoid putting out anything that breaks easily, such as stemmed martini glasses.

You can pour mixers into glass pitchers to make them look more elevated, and you can use miniature chalkboards to create labels and a menu. Coming up with names for any themed cocktails is a nice touch, especially around the holidays, and you can do a lot with garnishes as well. Chelsea Fagan says, "A good garnish also makes even a very basic drink feel special and considered. Something as simple as a fresh sprig of rosemary in a rosemary lemonade automatically elevates it!"

Lime wheels, orange slices, lemon twists, and cherries are all great options that can be prepped in advance, as are fresh herbs and olives skewered on toothpicks. Don't forget the cocktail napkins, and if you have time, it's nice to make a welcome drink for people as they arrive. Fagan comments, "I always love a good spritz. You can make a Negroni sbagliato for those who prefer it alcoholic, and a blood orange spritz — blood orange syrup, bitters, seltzer, fancy orange soda — for those who don't."