How far ahead can I batch?

Spirit + syrup + bitters: up to a week refrigerated (improves, actually). Anything with dairy or egg: hours. Citrus: same day. Bubbles: the glass.

Do I scale bitters and salt?

Sub-linearly — bitters scale at roughly half rate (8 drinks need ~12 dashes, not 16); a salt solution scales exactly. Small ingredients dominate at scale.

What about vermouth and amaro in batches?

They are spirits — scale exactly. Opened vermouth keeps 3–4 weeks refrigerated; batch within that window or the pitcher tastes of the bottle's age.

Classic punch runs weaker by design (large-format, long sessions): scale the spirit down to 1–1.5 oz per serving, add tea or water as the base — the 2:1:0.75 skeleton bends to the format.

Cocktail Batch Scaling Calculator

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How the batch scaling calculator works

The scaling, and its one trap

Multiplication is trivial — the trap is dilution. A stirred drink carries 15–20% melt water; a batch poured straight from the pitcher carries none. Two fixes: pre-dilute the batch (add 15–20% water — the dilution calculator sizes it) or serve over generous ice and accept stronger sips. Recipes that "batch fine" already did one of these.

The batching order

Spirit and syrup batch ahead — they hold for days refrigerated and marry beautifully.
Citrus at service — or within hours; fresh juice fades and turns bitter overnight.
Effervescence never batches — top sparkling elements per glass or the pitcher goes flat.
Garnish at the glass — a pitcher of wilted mint is a cautionary tale.

The shopping list

The calculator converts spirit ounces to 750-ml bottles (25.4 oz each) — the actual shopping question. Citrus counts as lemons (1.5 oz juice each) and limes (1 oz); syrup as batches of 1:1 simple (one cup sugar + one cup water yields ~12 oz).