Party & Batch · Batch & Pitcher
Five easy pitcher cocktails for parties and weekends: red sangria, white peach sangria, pitcher mojitos, palomas, and a whiskey smash, each with a zero-proof pitcher to set right beside it.
Pitcher cocktails are the laziest way to be a great host: mix once, set it out, and let people pour. These five are written for a standard pitcher of 8 drinks, so the cards open at 8, but tap 1 to see a single serving or Punch bowl · 16 for a crowd. And because a pitcher is shared, each one has a matching zero-proof pitcher to set right beside it (tap 🌿 Mocktails at the top).
Three pitcher rules: chill the pitcher, not with ice in it; add soda by the glass; and stir before each pour, because fruit and citrus settle.
A bottle of fruity red wine, a splash of brandy and orange liqueur, orange juice, and sliced fruit, rested in the fridge for at least four hours so the fruit and wine trade flavors.
Slice the fruit thin so it soaks up more, and so guests can eat it.
Cocktail recipeZero-proof recipe
Red wine, brandy, orange, and fruit, rested for flavor.
Garnish: The soaked fruit
Garnish: The soaked fruit
How the swap works: Pomegranate and black tea together recreate red wine's dark fruit and tannin, so it tastes like sangria, not fruit punch.
Enjoy responsibly, of legal drinking age only ·Zero-proof twin ·
A crisp white wine, a little peach schnapps, peach nectar, and plenty of ripe peach slices. It’s lighter and sunnier than red sangria, best with late-summer peaches, and just as good with frozen ones.
Cocktail recipeZero-proof recipe
Crisp white wine, peach schnapps, and ripe peaches.
Garnish: Peach slices, mint
Garnish: Peach slices, mint
How the swap works: Verjus gives white grape juice the crisp, food-friendly acidity of white wine; more soda keeps it light.
Enjoy responsibly, of legal drinking age only ·Zero-proof twin ·
Mojitos one at a time are a lot of muddling. In a pitcher, you gently press a big handful of mint with the lime and syrup once, then add the rum. Pour over crushed ice and top each glass with soda.
Press, don’t pound: shredded mint turns grassy and bitter.
Cocktail recipeZero-proof recipe
Mint, lime, rum, and soda for eight.
Garnish: Mint sprigs, lime wheels
Garnish: Mint sprigs, lime wheels
How the swap works: More mint, lime, and syrup, plus a little salt, keep the flavor bold once the rum is gone.
Enjoy responsibly, of legal drinking age only ·Zero-proof twin ·
Fresh grapefruit, tequila, a little lime and agave, and soda by the glass. Set out salt-rimmed glasses and let guests pour their own.
About six pink grapefruits give you enough juice for a pitcher.
Cocktail recipeZero-proof recipe
Tequila, fresh grapefruit, lime, and soda.
Garnish: Grapefruit wheels; salt-rimmed glasses
Garnish: Grapefruit wheels; salt-rimmed glasses
How the swap works: Tonic's bitterness plus grapefruit's own gives the zero-proof version a grown-up bite.
Enjoy responsibly, of legal drinking age only ·Zero-proof twin ·
Muddled lemon wedges and mint, simple syrup, and bourbon, with its dilution water added, poured over crushed ice. It’s bright and minty, and a very good porch drink.
Cocktail recipeZero-proof recipe
Bourbon, lemon, and mint over crushed ice.
Garnish: Mint sprigs, lemon wedges
Garnish: Mint sprigs, lemon wedges
How the swap works: Black tea swaps in one-for-one for bourbon; alcohol-free bitters add the spice.
Enjoy responsibly, of legal drinking age only ·Zero-proof twin ·
For every spirited pitcher, set a zero-proof one beside it in a matching pitcher with a different ribbon on the handle. Nobody has to ask, and nobody gets the wrong one.
Keep the soda and sparkling water in an ice bucket next to the pitchers so guests can top their own glasses.
Then step away from the bar. That’s the whole point.
More crowd-sized drinks: the batch cocktail guide, Christmas batch cocktails, and easy mocktail recipes that pitcher beautifully.
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A standard 2-quart (about 2 liter) pitcher holds about eight 6–8 oz drinks once poured over ice. Every recipe here is written for 8, and the card's buttons scale it up or down.
Red sangria is best after 4 hours and fine up to 24; white sangria is best within 12. Add soda only when serving.
No. Ice melts and waters down the whole pitcher. Chill the pitcher in the fridge and pour over fresh ice in each glass.
A fruity, inexpensive, low-tannin red like Spanish Garnacha or Tempranillo. For white sangria, a crisp, unoaked white like Albariño, Pinot Grigio, or Sauvignon Blanc.
Tap Punch bowl · 16 on any card for double quantities, or follow the batch cocktail guide for the dilution rules behind shaken and stirred drinks.
The batch cocktail guide →
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