Next in our cocktails for a crowd series, we take a look at how to batch a Martini for a crowd and have it ready to serve with your choice of garnish.
Why Batch a Martini
When a classic cocktail is entrenched in a ritual, from the chilling of the glass to measuring the spirits, and the melodic sound of stirring and pouring the liquid into the chilled glass and the anticipation of the first sip, one may question the purpose of batching a drink that enjoys a degree of theatrics. Yet there are good reasons to batch a Martini, store it in the freezer and have it ready to serve.
Convenience, consistency and speed aside, we put a pre-batched Martini to the test and compared it to one made and served on the spot. The pre-batched Martini stored in the freezer was much colder than if the cocktail had been stirred or shaken – an advantage if serving the drink during those hot, humid summer days where the drink loses its chill after 60 seconds. The texture of the pre-batched Martini was far more viscous and carried an intensity of flavour. As the Martini began to warm up, the interplay of botanicals in the gin and vermouth altered the drink and opened up the flavours. And if you’re into precision, the amount of dilution is more controlled than what you get with the ice melting.
How to Batch a Martini for a Crowd: Two Methods
There are essentially two methods for batching a Martini. The first and the simplest involves scaling the recipe by the number of serves then stirring the drink with ice before serving. Multiply the recipe by the number of drinks, pour the liquids in a glass bottle with a seal and store in the freezer. Being alcohol, the liquid won’t freeze and you’ll end up with a nicely chilled drink.
For example, for 6 serves of a Martini with a ratio of 60 ml gin to 10 ml vermouth, you need 360 ml of gin (or vodka) and 60 ml of vermouth.
The second method factors in dilution and has the advantage of a fully prepared batched Martini that is ready to pour into a chilled glass and garnished with your choice of lemon twists, green olives, or cocktail onions.
If dilution is to be added to the pre-batch mix, you need to calculate the amount of water.
How to Calculate Dilution
You’ve probably heard 25% to 30% water tossed around as the amount of dilution to factor into stirred drinks. A technique pioneered by Dave Arnold author of Liquid Intelligence is to calculate the amount of dilution by weighing the drink before and after dilution.
You start by making one Martini. Add gin, vermouth and bitters (if using) in a mixing glass and weigh it on an accurate kitchen scale. Take note of the weight. Now add ice, stir as you would normally do to chill and dilute the drink then strain the liquid into any glass. Discard the ice, pour the drink back into the mixing glass and weigh it again. The amount of water you need to add is the difference between the total weight of the cocktail and the original weight before dilution. (more on how to calculate dilution here)
Just like using fresh ice is paramount, filtered water is recommended as it doesn’t contain impurities.
Here’s how to batch a Martini for a crowd, a recipe for batching a dry Martini (60 gin/vodka, 10 dry vermouth) with dilution. If you prefer a wetter style of Martini, you can adjust the ratios to your liking.
How to Batch a Martini for a Crowd
For 10 serves
Ingredients
- 600 ml of gin or vodka
- 100 ml dry vermouth
- 175 ml filtered water
Equipment: 1 litre glass bottle with a seal, funnel
Glassware: Martini glasses or coupettes
Garnish: lemon twists, green Sicilian olives, cocktail onions and cocktail picks
Method
Using the funnel, add the gin or vodka, dry vermouth, bitters and water to a clean 1 litre bottle. Seal the bottle and give it a gentle swirl to mix all the ingredients. Keep in the freezer at least overnight until ready to use.
For an individual serve, pour into a chilled Martini glass or coupette and garnish to your liking.
Also in the cocktails for a crowd series: How to Batch Tiki Cocktails for a Crowd; How to Batch Old Fashioned Cocktail for a Crowd, How to Batch the Maple Blossom Cocktail for a Crowd
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