Along with a gallon of eggnog for New Year’s Eve, I prepared a couple bottles of pre-mixed cocktails and a half-gallon of an old Colonial drink called the Coffee Cocktail.
Pre-mixing cocktails is a party trick that I’ve been using this year for house parties. It requires much less attention from the social bartender during the event, allowing more time for me to mingle with guests. But since we love the festive sound of the cocktail shaker, I batch a few cocktails for shaking over ice. For the last night of the year, I did two bottles of the Aviation Cocktail and one bottle of the Lion’s Tail.
A bottle of Aviation Cocktails1
In a 750mL bottle, mix
13 1/2oz Aviation gin,
6 3/4oz lemon juice, and
4 1/2oz Luxardo maraschino.
Makes 9-10 servings.
This results in a bottle at about 45 proof. It can be stored at room temperature, although the solids in the lemon juice will settle. Just give the bottle a shake before serving.
To serve,
pour 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 oz over ice in a mixing glass,
shake, and
strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with a twist of lemon peel or a wolf berry plumped in Cointreau.
1. To split one bottle of Aviation Gin into two bottles of Aviation Cocktail, divide the gin evenly into two bottles. To each bottle add 6 1/4oz lemon juice and 4oz plus 1tsp maraschino. There will be 8-9 servings in each bottle.
