Pink Vodka Lemonade
one glass or a whole pitcher
Lightly crush four raspberries in the bottom of a highball glass, just enough to release the colour.
Fill the glass to the rim with ice cubes and pour the vodka, lemon juice, and raspberry syrup over them.
Stir for ten seconds with a bar spoon so the syrup mixes in and doesn’t remain at the bottom.
Top up with cold sparkling water, stir once from bottom to top, and garnish with the last raspberry and a lemon slice.
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Party at home: a pitcher instead of a shaker
At a birthday party, you walk around with snacks while the doorbell rings every five minutes. So choose one cocktail you can make ahead in a pitcher, and at most one that you shake on the spot for anyone who asks. For eight glasses of Pink Vodka Lemonade, mix 32 cl vodka, 16 cl lemon juice and 16 cl syrup with 32 crushed raspberries in a pitcher and chill it. Pour 8 cl from the pitcher over ice in each glass and top up with sparkling water. Allow for two glasses per guest in the first hour and one per hour thereafter: twenty guests and an evening of four hours make around one hundred glasses in total, not all of them cocktails. Also prepare a pitcher without alcohol, for example with Virgin Mojito, and save a strong short drink such as the Espresso Martini for later in the evening.
The right glass
A long drink glass from 33 to 47 cl is the workhorse of a party at home. It holds a long cocktail with plenty of ice, stands firmly on a full table, and you can use the same glass for soft drinks and water. Allow for one and a half glasses per guest, because glasses disappear among the snacks. If you also want to serve short drinks, set aside a few coupes for later in the evening. View our long drink glasses.
Bormioli Rocco Diamond Long Drink Glass 47 cl (6 pieces)
Arcoroc Islande Long Drink Glass 33 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 35,90.
The right tools
For these party cocktails, besides the glass, you use a muddler, a long bar spoon, a jigger for precise measuring, a citrus press, and long ice sticks. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 5 bar tools together € 126,70.
What do you need to make these Party cocktails?
For these party cocktails, you need vodka. Popular bottles include Absolut Raspberri, Smirnoff Raspberry Crush, and Smirnoff. On each drink page, you can read the percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it goes well with, and which glass you need.
Eight cocktails for a party at home
Good to know
Easy cocktails for a birthday
A party cocktail is easy when you can make it while someone is talking to you. The Moscow Mule is vodka, lime juice, and ginger beer in one glass, the Aperol Spritz follows a three-to-two-to-one ratio, and the Pink Vodka Lemonade comes from the pitcher. Blender cocktails such as the Frozen Margarita are popular at a summer party, but make them in batches of four, otherwise you'll be standing at the counter all evening. Stick to three cocktails in one evening; more choice mainly means more half-empty bottles going back into the cupboard.
Pink Vodka Lemonade in a pitcher for eight
For eight glasses, muddle 32 raspberries in the bottom of a 1.2-liter pitcher. Add 32 cl vodka, 16 cl fresh lemon juice, and 16 cl raspberry syrup, stir until everything is mixed, and chill the pitcher for at least an hour. Don't add ice or sparkling water: ice dilutes the whole pitcher while it is sitting on the table, and the bubbles are gone after half an hour. Pour 8 cl over fresh ice in each glass and top up with 10 cl sparkling water. Make the pitcher no more than four hours in advance; after that, the raspberries become mushy. Suitable pitchers can be found among our pitchers.
A cocktail table where guests pour their own drinks
If you don't want to spend the whole evening behind the bar, set up a table where guests can finish their own cocktail. Place the pitcher in a container with ice and water, put a jigger next to it, and write on a card how much to pour from the pitcher and how much sparkling water to add. Place the glasses upside down on a tea towel, the garnish in small bowls, and a bucket of ice with a scoop next to it, so no one has to put their hands in the ice. Refill everything every hour. A table close to the kitchen works best: that's where the refrigerator with the next pitcher is.
Alcohol-free and lower-strength
At a birthday party, there are always guests who are driving, don't drink or bring children. The Pink Vodka Lemonade also works without vodka: replace it with 4 cl extra sparkling water and half a centiliter extra lemon juice, and it stays fresh and not too sweet. Make a Virgin Mojito or a Shirley Temple in the same glass. For the children, there are children's cocktails with juice and grenadine. If you want to take it easier yourself, pour 3 cl of vodka instead of 4 and top up with a little more sparkling water.
Frequently asked questions
Which cocktails are easy for a party?
Cocktails that you make in a pitcher or build in one glass, such as the Pink Vodka Lemonade, a Moscow Mule or an Aperol Spritz. You don't need to shake, and each glass takes half a minute. Save the shaker for one cocktail later in the evening.
How many cocktails do you need for a birthday?
Allow for two glasses per guest in the first hour and then one per hour. Twenty guests at a four-hour evening drink around a hundred glasses together, not all of them cocktails. Have at least a third of your selection alcohol-free and allow for a kilo of ice per guest.
Can you make cocktails a day in advance?
Partly. You can mix spirits and syrup days in advance and chill them, but add fresh lemon or lime juice on the day itself, because it loses its freshness within a day. Add fruit, ice and sparkling water only just before serving.
Which glasses do you need for a party at home?
Long-drink glasses from 33 to 47 cl for almost everything, and count on one and a half glasses per guest. For spritzes, use the same glasses or large wine glasses. You only need coupes for short drinks such as the Pornstar Martini; six is usually enough.
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