Become the host with the most with pitchers ready to pour at any party. These stress-free cocktail recipes from Maggie Hoffman will make cocktail hour one to remember.
Grand Prix
Makes about 12 servings in a 2-pint pitcher
INGREDIENTS
2 1⁄4 cups chilled Campari 1 1⁄2 cups chilled coffee or cold brew 1⁄4 cup 2:1 simple syrup (recipe follows) Pinch fine sea salt 3 cups fresh grapefruit juice
TO SERVE
3 cups chilled tonic water 12 grapefruit twists
METHOD
Up to 6 hours before serving, make the batch. Pour chilled Campari, chilled coffee, simple syrup, and salt into a 2-pint pitcher and stir to mix. Seal well, covering with plastic wrap if needed, and refrigerate.
Up to 2 hours before serving, prepare grapefruit juice and stir into pitcher mix. Reseal and return to refrigerator if not serving immediately.
To serve, whisk pitcher mixture well, or pour
half of the mixture into a blender and blend for 20 seconds, then stir back into remaining pitcher mix. Fill highball glasses with ice and add 1/4 cup chilled tonic water to each glass. Top with pitcher mix and garnish each drink with a grapefruit twist.
FOR THE 2:1 SIMPLE SYRUP
Makes about 1⁄2 cup
INGREDIENTS
1⁄2 cup sugar 1⁄4 cup very hot water
METHOD
Combine sugar and hot water in a resealable container, such as a mason jar, and stir to dissolve slightly. As soon as it’s cool enough to handle, seal container and shake until sugar is completely dissolved. Alternatively, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and warm over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Do not let boil. Let cool completely and refrigerate for up to 1 month.
Derby Cup
INGREDIENTS
1 1⁄4 cups bourbon (such as Four Roses, available from Master of Malt or Amazon) 1 1⁄4 cups Pimm’s No. 1 3⁄4 cup chilled mint syrup (recipe follows) 3⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice
TO SERVE
3 cups chilled club soda 8 lively mint sprigs
Up to 1 day before serving, make the batch. Pour bourbon, Pimm’s, and chilled mint syrup into a 2-pint pitcher and stir to mix. Seal well, covering with plastic wrap if needed, and refrigerate.
Up to 2 hours before serving, prepare lemon juice and stir into pitcher mix. Reseal and return to refrigerator if not serving immediately.
To serve, stir mixture well, then add chilled soda and give it another gentle stir. Fill Collins glasses or julep cups to top with crushed ice and pour in cocktail. Garnish each glass with a mint sprig.
FOR THE MINT SYRUP
Makes about 1 cup
INGREDIENTS
3⁄4 cup sugar
3⁄4 cup water Leaves from 11 mint sprigs
METHOD
Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and warm over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. When mixture reaches a simmer, remove from heat and stir in mint leaves until fully submerged. Cover and let steep for 1 hour. Strain into a resealable container and refrigerate until chilled or for up to 1 week.
MAGGIE’S TOP TIP
Inspired by a similar move at San Francisco’s Philz Coffee, I love to add a bit of this minty simple syrup to my iced coffee.
Reprinted with permission from Batch Cocktails: Make-Ahead Pitcher Drinks for Every Occasion by Maggie Hoffman, copyright © 2019. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Photography copyright: Kelly Puleio © 2019
