Batching

What is batching?

Batching is the art of preparing drinks before the rush: a whole batch gets mixed in advance, stored cold and only poured into the glass during service. What sounds like convenience is quality: measured right once, it counts for the whole batch, and the hundredth order tastes like the first.

What batching brings

• Consistency: measured once, right a hundred times, the batch protects against the small mistakes of haste
• Speed: in busy hours preparation decides, and behind the bar the only work left is chilling and serving
• Precision at scale: the jigger becomes the mixer for the whole round, more on its lead role in our jigger entry

What can be batched

• Stirred classics: spirits, liqueurs and bitters are ideal, vermouth batches well too, it just wants to go into the fridge afterwards
• Citrus: here opinions diverge: many bars batch sours only for the day, because freshly squeezed juice is alive and does not stay that way forever, others consider citrus too lively for storage in general. Both positions have professionalism on their side
• History: ready-mixed bottled cocktails are not an invention of the craft era, they were sold in the USA more than a hundred years ago

Temperature and dilution

The batch belongs in the cold, fridge or freezer, and on dilution there are two schools: some calculate water straight into the batch, many let the ice in the glass do the rest. Both have logic, both want to be calibrated, and why dilution is an ingredient is in our dilution entry.

Remember: stirring makes silk, batching makes stock, flash blending makes fluff, the whip shake does half the work, the reverse dry shake makes the foam.

At our lounge

Feel free to ask what we have prepared today: behind many a quick drink stands a well planned batch, and batching is the inconspicuous lead role of a smooth evening.