The Types Of Cocktail Recipes Ina Garten Can't Stand

Homemade cocktails are a fun way to spruce up your nightly ritual, whether you're eating with friends, cooking for a partner, or lounging solo. Making a cocktail from scratch may sound like a lot of work, but its beauty lies in its versatility. Do you love your drinks with some smokiness? Then, whip up a margarita with mezcal. Or, do prefer the taste of sparkling wine? An Aperol spritz is your best friend.

Yes, with just a few recipes in your docket, you can easily make drinks that suit your — and your guests' — preferences. Plus, you can pair your drink of choice to the season at hand. Wine cocktails, for example, make for the ultimate summer delight. Meanwhile, whiskey-based drinks tend to offer warmth during the snowy seasons.

One of Ina Garten's best tips for making cocktails, however, isn't about the recipe, per se. The Barefoot Contessa knows a thing or two about hosting friends for drinks and it's this social aspect of drinking that influences her approach to making cocktails.

One cocktail, please — but not if you're making it yourself. In a video from "Barefoot Contessa" posted to the Food Network's Youtube channel, Ina Garten cited her dislike of making cocktails one-by-one. 

"I hate recipes for cocktails one at a time," emphasized Garten, who ultimately prefers to make her whiskey sours in a pitcher. The reason? Batch-making drinks is not only efficient but makes sense for hosting purposes. With a pitcher of drinks, your guests may all be drinking the same thing — but you can have plenty of fun with your recipe. A batch of sangria, for instance, is perfect for summer barbecues, whereas a New Year's Eve punch makes for something a little more festive.

No matter what's in the pitcher, batch-made cocktails ultimately offer a fail-safe solution to satiating a large group of people. "Because that's the whole point," Garten added. "You want to drink it with your friends."

So make — and pour — a few drinks, whether you want Garten's whiskey sour or your go-to cocktail. With a pitcher, there's plenty to go around.