We’re advocates of homemade food and drinks, but we’re also firm believers in stress-free party hosting—and sometimes that means cutting a few corners. One of our favorite time-savers? Bottled cocktail mixers. “Batching portions of a given drink offers consistency, efficiency and top quality when you don't have a bartender on hand, especially for larger events,” says Charles Joly, a James Beard Award winning bartender (and yes, he thought it was a good enough idea to start his own line of bottled cocktails). Below, we’ve compiled a list of cocktail mixers that will make holiday party season so much more enjoyable.
Williams-Sonoma Cocktail Mixer
These mixers, which come in unique flavors like Blood Orange-Satsuma and Yuzu-Meyer Lemon, are made with pure fruit juice and contain just a touch of cane sugar.
$17; williams-sonoma.com
Owl's Brew Tea Cocktail Mixer: The Classic
Host a tipsy tea party with these small-batch, agave-sweetened mixers.
$8; luckyvitamin.com
Arrowhead Farms Hellfire Club Bloody Mary Mix
Create a simple Sunday brunch Bloody Mary bar using this Arrowhead Farms small-batch mix, a good bottle of vodka, and a platter of pickled veggies.
$17; arrowheadfarms.com
Be-Mixed Margarita
With natural ingredients and zero calories, this mixer makes for a borderline healthy Margarita.
$33; shop.be-mixed.com
Crafthouse Moscow Mule
Crafthouse Cocktails, which actually come pre-made with alcohol, are created using the freshest ingredients, ensuring that even the most nuanced palate won’t complain about a bottled beverage.
$20; wlvliquors.com
