Gin Cocktails, Margaritas, And More: 5 Batch Drinks To Make For A Football Match Screening

Planning a football match screening at home and inviting a crowd? Then you can consider making batch-style gin cocktails, margaritas, whisky lemonades, and more for a large party.  When it comes to a batch cocktail, the balance and dilution are critical, but so is the order in which the ingredients are mixed. 

The following list includes batch cocktails that can be prepared well in advance of the screening. This allows the host to concentrate on the event while providing an even serve throughout the game. 

Football Screening Drinks: Gin Cocktails, Margaritas, and More

Brand references in the recipes are indicative and can be adapted based on preference.

Don Julio Margarita Cocktail

Margarita cocktails are perhaps the most recognisable of all the tequila cocktails. Don Julio Margarita cocktails are made with tequila, fresh lime, orange liqueur, and agave syrup. Most Margarita cocktail builds are spirit-forward, recognised for the 2:1:1 ratio — two parts tequila to one part citrus and one part sweetener. Thus, the cocktail is easy to scale while still maintaining balance. Unlike drinks that depend on carbonation, egg whites or last-minute techniques, a Margarita cocktail can be made in bulk and ahead of service. Stir the batch before serving to help keep the drink evenly incorporated.

Johnnie Walker Blonde Lemonade Cocktail

The Johnnie Walker Blonde whisky has been developed exclusively for mixing and is typically served with lemonade-style drinks. Its flavour notes of vanilla, apple, caramel, and light spice blend combine perfectly with citrusy-sweet lemonade. To make this cocktail, simply add 1 part whisky to 3 parts of lemonade. Go for a traditional, cloudy lemonade instead of the sparkling version, as carbonated mixers tend to lose their fizz over time. Because it requires minimal ingredients, it's easy to prepare in large batches for football screenings, parties, or other gatherings. 

Tanqueray Garden Lemonade Cocktail

Lemonade serves a unique function in gin cocktails – it adds brightness to the natural botanicals of gin. The predominant flavour of Tanqueray London Dry Gin is juniper, and lemon is a natural match, while fresh herbs such as mint provide further aroma. To make the cocktail mix 1 part of gin with 3 parts of lemonade (for example, 30 ml of gin with 90 ml of lemonade for a single serve). For additional acidity, add fresh lemon juice equivalent to roughly one-third of the gin quantity (10 ml for 30 ml of gin for a single serve). The result is a drink that balances citrus, herbal, and botanical notes without allowing any one flavour to dominate.

Smirnoff Espresso Martini Cocktail

The Smirnoff Espresso Martini cocktail combines coffee and vodka into a drink with a rich, dark, roasted aroma and structured flavour profile. One of the most popular coffee cocktails, it uses vodka with espresso and coffee liqueur. To create this drink, mix 20 ml Smirnoff Vodka with 10 ml coffee liqueur and 12 ml espresso. The drink is often garnished with three coffee beans. For football screenings, keep the pre-mixed batch in the freezer and shake individual portions with fresh ice right before serving. This will ensure you achieve the signature frothy layer (crema). The drink also offers a visual and flavour contrast to the citrusy drinks that usually make up batch cocktails. 

Smirnoff Minty Jamun Punch Cocktail

During an Indian summer, mango cocktails often take centre stage; however, jamun provides a uniquely Indian, sweet-sour fruit flavour profile with an earthy characteristic. To make this drink, muddle 5 to 6 fresh mint leaves with 15 ml of lime juice and 15 ml of sugar syrup in a glass, then add 30 ml of Smirnoff Minty Jamun Vodka, fill with ice, and top it off with 120 ml of chilled tonic water or club soda. When using mint with jamun, the combination provides a well-supported fruit punch in large formats for hosting. The acidity of the fruit also assists in making it possible to prepare this cocktail in advance while maintaining its structural components.

How To Batch These Cocktails For A Football Match Screening

Here are some effective techniques for serving batch cocktails at screening events.

• Calculate the number of servings before making up your mixture and measure your ingredients accordingly.

• Prepare the mixture by cooling down your spirits, juices, and other mixers before mixing them together.

• Add the sparkling or carbonated mixers just before serving to avoid loss of fizz. 

• Cocktails containing citrus juices or espresso should be stored in the refrigerator and served the same day they were prepared for the best taste.

• Garnishes should be prepped separately from the cocktails and then added at the time of serving.

• Ice used in individual servings should be new ice from your ice bucket instead of from your batch.

• If you’re mixing multiple types of cocktails, label the batch for identification.

• Use approximately 30ml of spirit in an individual serving. 

Conclusion

Batch cocktails are useful in situations with large crowds, like people coming together for a football screening. From citrusy gin cocktails to sweet whisky lemonades, these batch cocktails provide enough variety to cater to different taste preferences. When properly chilled and diluted through serving sizes, batch cocktails can maintain flavour profiles as intended from the start of the match until the end of the game.

*Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.