Cocktail Recipe Scaler

When making a single cocktail, shaking or stirring with ice adds approximately 20% to 25% water from dilution and chilling. When making a batch, the cocktails sit in a container without this dilution. To compensate, professional bartenders add approximately 25% of the total cocktail volume as water (or diluted water/ice) to achieve the same proof and texture as a freshly shaken drink.

Divide the target number of servings by 1 (the original serving count). Enter the ingredient amounts from the single-serving recipe, then enter 50 as the target servings. The calculator multiplies each ingredient by 50. For example, a cocktail with 2 oz base spirit, 1 oz liqueur, and 1 oz citrus juice scales to 100 oz spirit, 50 oz liqueur, and 50 oz citrus juice for 50 servings. Add 25% water for batch dilution.

The classic template for a balanced cocktail is: 2 oz (60 ml) base spirit, 0.75 to 1 oz (22 to 30 ml) sweetener (liqueur or simple syrup), and 0.75 to 1 oz (22 to 30 ml) acid (fresh citrus juice). This 2:1:1 ratio produces a balanced sour-style cocktail. Variations include adding 2 to 4 dashes of bitters or other modifiers. Most modern cocktail recipes follow variations on this structure.

A dash of bitters from a standard bitters bottle is approximately 0.6 to 0.9 ml (about 1/8 teaspoon). For practical purposes, a dash is roughly 0.625 ml. When scaling large batches, convert dashes to millilitres: multiply the number of dashes by 0.625 ml. This calculator shows the scaled amount; you can decide whether to convert units.

Yes, fresh citrus juice oxidises and becomes bitter over time. For large batches, it is best to squeeze juice no more than 4 hours before serving. Some bartenders use a small amount of citric acid solution to preserve freshness. For very large batches (100+ servings), consider using a citrus extractor and keeping the juice refrigerated in airtight containers until needed.