Dig out that punch bowl and put those pies in the oven – it’s kick-off time.

The best thing about sport? Sure, the games are good, but we love that it’s all about getting everyone together. Maybe everyone piles in for a Super Bowl replay, or you’re prepping for the return of footy season (praise be), but the key to hosting a great game-day party is preparation. And what kind of friends would we be if we let you host without reminding you that you can scale up your favourite cocktails for a group?

If you’re doing the hosting, you’ve probably already got a working checklist, but if you want our advice, then we’d go all out (naturally). No matter the size of your group, you can’t go wrong with a gourmet barbecue. Or if you’re going the whole-footy-hog, that means chips in boxes, Four’N Twenty pies and sausage rolls (bonus points if you have a pie-warmer). Don’t forget enough seating, either. And, of course, you need the biggest big-screen possible.

When it comes to drinks, you could open a few bottles of wine or put the beers on ice, but we reckon the best way to host game day is to batch-make a round of cocktails ahead of time so you don’t miss a second of the action. Here are 12 of our favourites that we humbly think are the best way to serve cocktails for a crowd.

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1. Sparkling Strawberry Punch cocktail recipe

Pull out that punch bowl (or go and visit grandma), because our Sparkling Strawberry Punch recipe is a certified crowd pleaser. It’s easy, too – just strawberries, zesty lemon juice, Aperol, grapefruit juice, soda and moscato, which brings a sweet spritzy kick, before being decorated with fresh strawbs and mint leaves. If this one is skewing a little too sweet for you, you can always swap out that moscato for a drier style of sparkling or even Champagne, if you want to zhuzh it up.

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2. Spiced White Negroni cocktail recipe

Cocktail queen Kayla Saito has made the ultimate freezer-batch cocktail in the Spiced White Negroni – think a honeyed White Negroni. Kayla’s secret? Chai tea. Then you need gin (don’t forget to experiment here), Amaro Montenegro and Lillet Blanc Aperitif. Garnish with a white chocolate shard and some orange zest. Kayla swears by batching this as she says it means each serve will be consistent, and her top tip for batching five or more serves is to lower the salt.

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3. Cranberry Limoncello Spritz cocktail recipe

It’s official, we’re dubbing the Cranberry Limoncello the Spritz of summer. And made with limoncello, prosecco, cranberry juice and soda, it offers serious bang-for-buck because a these few ingredients give you multiple serves. Throw in some fresh citrus fruit and you have a zingy refresher. This Spritz is at home in a jug, and placed slap-bang between a plate of snags, steaks and a few burgers. Who’s bringing the potato salad?

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4. Pineapple & Gin Punch cocktail recipe

Don’t be intimidated by the ingredients list for this punch, it really is a piece of cake. The key is to infuse the gin with jasmine tea bags – you just need half an hour up your sleeve. From there, all you need to do is add the rest of the ingredients into a punch bowl or jug and stir. Just remember that ice cubes will melt faster than you can say Pineapple and Gin Punch, so you want a large block of ice that won’t dilute the flavour.

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5. White Linen cocktail recipe

Is there a fresher cocktail in our collection? We don’t think so. Despite the fact this is super summery, the beauty of this batched number is that it works year-round, especially when you’re after full-on bright and floral vibes. This cocktail is designed for six, with cucumber juice, gin and elderflower liqueur bringing all sorts of crisp, clean and floral flavours.

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6. Freezer-Door Martini cocktail recipe

You know we love a Martini as much as the next person, so we’ve put together a recipe that a) you can’t mess up and b) can be batched for a group. That’s what we call a win-win. This recipe makes eight serves, and all you need is gin, vermouth, some water and enough glassware for your mates. Brine level and garnish of choice? Well that, our friends, is totally up to you.

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7. Raspberry Tequila Sangria cocktail recipe

The Raspberry Tequila Sangria is what you get when you cross Sangria with a Margarita (yum). So, if you’re leaning toward tacos for your game-day menu, we say go all in with this take on two of our favourite drinks. The blanco tequila, rosé and ginger ale meld together to make (dare we say) the perfect punch. Just be sure to prep an hour before kick-off – there’s a syrupy base that needs time to do its thing.

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8. Pornstar Martini Spritz cocktail recipe

Yes, we’ve gone and turned one of our most popular (and delicious) cocktails into a Spritz for the whole crew. You’re welcome. Served in a jug and lengthened with passionfruit soda, we’ve dropped the original recipe’s passionfruit liqueur, but it still has all the vanilla, tropical goodness but with the spritz and complexity that comes with the addition of sparkling wine.

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9. Hot Pink Punch cocktail recipe

Love watermelon? Us too – so much, in fact, that we created this bright pink watermelon showcase with this punch. This cocktail ticks all our boxes: the watermelon brings fruity sweetness, Campari adds a bitter balance, gin’s bright botanicals are in the mix, and a spicy rim on the glass offers some surprising depth. It’s bright, fresh, oh-so pretty and perfect for every party.

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10. DIY Alcoholic Lemonade cocktail recipe

We love a ready-to-go hard lemonade as much as everyone else, but if you really want to impress at your next game-day event, you can’t go wrong bringing out a batched DIY Alcoholic Lemonade. Just a little pre-prep brings seriously tangy, tasty results – after that, it’s an easy build for this vodka-based fizzy recipe. Sweet but tart, refreshing and guaranteed to please.

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11. Pink Gin Fruit Punch cocktail recipe

Forgotten about that bottle of pink gin you bought? Well, go and grab it because we’re making our famous Pink Gin Fruit Punch. This crowd-friendly cocktail could not be any easier to make – all you need is the pink gin, a bottle of sparkling rosé (go for a drier style), some grapefruit soda, and you’ve got yourself and your mates five servings of the prettiest punch. For our sweet-treat fans – swap out that rosé for a pink moscato.

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12. Mojito cocktail recipe

If there was ever a time and place for a Mojito (like there’s ever a bad one), it’s on a spring afternoon. It’s got everything: mint, lime, white rum, a little sugar and maybe even a splash of soda – trust us, we’ve tried and tested a few recipes and reckon this is the best. Now that you’re a pro at scaling up a cocktail, the Mojito is another ideal contender – just add your ice and any soda when serving. Like a hit of spice? Finish it with a dash of bitters.