Earl Grey Gin Punch
eight glasses from one pitcher
Brew strong Earl Grey: steep four tea bags in 50 cl of hot water for four minutes, then remove the bags, otherwise the tea will become bitter. Let it cool completely.
Mix the gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup and cold tea in a pitcher and stir until the syrup has dissolved. For eight glasses, multiply everything by eight: 108 cl in total, exactly enough for a 1.2-liter pitcher.
Put the pitcher in the refrigerator for at least two hours. The tea provides the dilution a cocktail would otherwise get from melting ice, so no extra water is needed.
Fill a glass with ice cubes, pour in 13.5 cl punch and top up with 4 cl sparkling water.
Garnish with a lemon slice.
What did you think of this recipe?
One click on a star is all it takes. If you want to add anything, we'll review it before it appears here.
Save this recipe
Send the recipe for Cocktails for a group to your own email, so you have it at hand when you are about to make it. You'll also receive a €5 discount code for orders from €50, for the glasses that go with it.
Batching: the calculation rules
Batching means mixing a cocktail in advance in a larger quantity, and three rules make all the difference. One: multiply the recipe per glass by the number of guests and measure in centiliters, not by feel. Two: add water. Ice melts in a shaker or mixing glass, and that water is a fixed part of the cocktail; in a pitcher, you need to add it yourself, about 20 to 25 cl per liter of batch, otherwise it will be too strong and too sweet. In the Earl Grey Gin Punch, the chilled tea does that job. Three: add bubbles and ice only in the glass; otherwise the carbonation disappears and the pitcher becomes watered down. The exception is one large ice cube in a punch bowl: it melts so slowly that it keeps the punch cold without quickly diluting it. Allow for two glasses per guest in the first hour and one per hour after that, and make the pitcher on the same day, because fresh lemon juice loses its freshness after a day.
The right glass
For a group, the pitcher is your most important glassware. A 1.2-liter pitcher holds exactly eight glasses of Earl Grey Gin Punch without ice. Keep the ice out of the pitcher too, as it dilutes the entire batch while it sits on the table. Pour into highball glasses or tumblers of 35 to 45 cl, leaving enough room for ice and sparkling water. If you have more than twenty guests, set out two pitchers: one on the table and one in the fridge. View our pitchers.
RCR Timeless Pitcher 1.2 L
Tiki Gold Highball Glass 45 cl
Both sets together € 48,90.
The right tools
For these cocktails for a group, besides the glass you’ll need a long bar spoon, a jigger for precise measuring, a citrus press, and long ice sticks. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you’ll find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 4 bar tools together € 157,75.
What do you make these Cocktails for a group with?
For these cocktails for a group, you need gin, rum, and red wine. Well-known bottles include Gordon's and Tanqueray No. Ten. On each drinks page, you can find the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works well in, and which glass you need.
Seven recipes for a pitcher or punch bowl
Good to know
How many cocktails do you count per person
The rule of thumb for parties is two drinks per guest in the first hour and then one per hour. Twenty guests and an evening of four hours comes to around one hundred drinks, but not everyone drinks cocktails exclusively. Count on half cocktails and the rest wine, beer, and soft drinks: that’s fifty cocktails, or six to seven pitchers of Earl Grey Gin Punch. Have at least a third of the selection alcohol-free. Ice runs out first: count on one kilo per guest if you’re also chilling bottles, and half a kilo if it’s only for use in the glasses.
How much water to add to a batch cocktail
A cocktail that you would normally shake or stir gets water from the melting ice. When you batch it, you add that water yourself: 20 to 25 cl per liter. For ten Negronis, mix 30 cl gin, 30 cl Campari and 30 cl sweet vermouth with 18 cl water, then chill the bottle in the refrigerator; pour about 11 cl over a large ice block per glass. Long drinks topped up with sparkling water do not need extra water, as the bubbles already dilute them. In a punch with juice or tea, such as the Earl Grey Gin Punch, the water is already part of the recipe.
A punch bowl with one large ice block
In a punch bowl, one large ice block works better than a scoop of ice cubes. A block has less surface area, so it melts more slowly and keeps the punch cold for a few hours without quickly watering it down. The evening before, fill a cake tin or container with one and a half liters of water, optionally adding lemon slices, and place it in the freezer. Let the block sit on the counter for five minutes before removing it from the mold; it will be less likely to crack. A Summer Rum Punch or Sangria will stay at the right temperature all afternoon. For the glasses, use large ice cube molds.
What not to batch
Not every cocktail can be made ahead. Egg white needs the shaker to create foam, so a Whiskey Sour with egg white should be made one glass or two at a time. Mint turns brown when muddled and left standing for an hour; for a Mojito for a group, it is better to steep the mint in the sugar syrup in advance and add the fresh leaves to the glass only when serving. An Espresso Martini loses its layer of foam without shaking. Bubbles should always be added to the glass at the last moment. And cream and citrus can curdle in the same pitcher, so make that combination one glass at a time.
Frequently asked questions
How many cocktails should you count on per person?
Two glasses per guest in the first hour and then one per hour. For twenty guests over an evening of four hours, that's about one hundred drinks, usually half of them cocktails. You pour eight glasses from a 1.2-litre pitcher, so plan on six to seven pitchers.
How much water do you add to a batch cocktail?
About 20 to 25 cl of water per litre of batch for cocktails you would normally shake or stir. This is the water that would otherwise come from the ice in the shaker. For long drinks topped with sparkling water, or a punch with tea or juice, no extra water is needed.
How far in advance can you make cocktails?
You can mix spirits, syrup and bitters days in advance, and a stirred batch such as a Negroni will keep for a few weeks in the fridge. With fresh lemon or lime juice, prepare the pitcher on the day itself, preferably within four hours of serving. Add sparkling ingredients and ice only in the glass.
Which cocktails are suitable for a large group?
Punches and long drinks with a base you mix in advance: Sangria, a Planter's Punch, a Russian Spring Punch or the Earl Grey Gin Punch. They don't need a shaker, and you finish them in ten seconds per glass. Cocktails with egg white, cream or lots of foam are best made per glass.
Everything for your table,
to one address
Glasses in hospitality quality, delivered per set. Order today, delivered quickly.
Shop glasses →