Porch Pounders Recipe

Prepare equipment

Chill a large pitcher or mixing vessel. Have a cocktail shaker, large measuring cup, and fine strainer ready.

Combine base spirits and citrus

In the chilled pitcher, pour 2 cups bourbon, 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, 1/2 cup fresh orange juice, and 1/2 cup simple syrup. Stir gently to combine.

Add bitters and taste

Add 8 dashes of Angostura bitters to the pitcher. Stir and taste; adjust sweetness with up to 2 tablespoons additional simple syrup or brightness with a tablespoon extra lemon juice if needed.

Chill and marry

Cover the pitcher and refrigerate for 15–30 minutes to allow flavors to marry. Alternatively, for faster chilling, transfer mixture in two batches to a cocktail shaker with ice, shake 10–12 seconds, then strain back into the pitcher.

Finish with ginger beer

Just before serving, gently fold in 2 cups chilled ginger beer to the pitcher to preserve carbonation. Stir slowly once or twice—do not vigorously shake or stir to avoid flattening the ginger beer.

Garnish for flight service

Add 4 lemon wheels and a few mint sprigs to the pitcher or keep them separate for individual garnish placement.

Keep the prepared batch cold and lightly carbonated; pour flight portions as below.

Prepare glasses

Fill four small highball or rocks glasses with ice (or use one glass per flight pour as needed).

Portion the base

Measure and pour 1/2 cup (approximately 4 fl oz / 120 ml) of the prepared Porch Pounder batch into each glass over ice.

Top with ginger beer

Top each poured portion with 1/2 cup chilled ginger beer to brighten and add effervescence. Gently stir once with a bar spoon to integrate.

Garnish and serve

Place a lemon wheel on the rim or float it in each glass. Add a mint sprig if using. Serve the four glasses together as a flight so guests can sample small, balanced pours.

If serving later, keep leftover batch refrigerated and add ginger beer to each portion just before serving to retain fizz. Yield: 4 flight pours.