BASIC BATCH
Bartenders often pre-mix cocktails to prepare for larger groups. It’s a technique known as “batching,” and it’s a trick that can help make your next summer soirée a breeze.
“I love having dinner parties, that’s my favorite thing to do,” says Maggie Hoffman, author of Batch Cocktails (Ten Speed Press), released in March. “But I just really don’t want to be stressed out when I have people over. Anything you can do to create a calm moment makes for a better evening.”
Hoffman has a point, whether or not entertaining stresses you out: Why get stuck fiddling with jiggers and shakers in a poor imitation of Tom Cruise’s character in if you don’t have
