These make-ahead cocktails are perfect for parties.

By Saveur Magazine

When you’re entertaining a large group of friends, the last thing you want to do is spend all of your time making individual cocktails for your guests. It’s much more practical to mix up large batches of drinks beforehand. From summery sangria to holiday punch, we’ve rounded up our favorite recipes for make-ahead drinks for a crowd so that you can spend less time playing bartender and more time with your guests.

For a warm-weather party, we love sangria. This simple mix of wine, fruit, brandy, and soda is light and refreshing enough to sip all afternoon. Our red and white sangria recipes both start with wine, Lillet liquor, Lustau brandy, and seltzer. The white adds tart lemon juice and floral St. Germaine, while the red adds sweet Grand Marnier and homemade grenadine. Having a barbecue? Try grilling kiwi, mango, orange, star fruit, and pineapple for a smoky-sweet white wine sangria.

Fall and winter bring with them lots of holidays and lots of chances for entertaining. A holiday party needs a good punch. The Horse & Carriage is a light, effervescent drink made with chamomile tea and sparkling wine. Garnishing it with cinnamon sticks and slices of pear and apple gives it a festive fall twist. In the cold of winter, warm up with a classic eggnog. Our recipe, from chef Hugh Acheson is spiced with nutmeg and swaps out the traditional brandy for a mix of bourbon and rum.

Next time you need to make drink for a crowd, turn to our collection of make-ahead large-batch cocktails.

This excellent article was originally published here – http://www.saveur.com/article/-/Drinks-for-a-Crowd

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