Forget the fussy signature cocktail€”a big batch of easy-to-make, easy-to-drink punch is the secret to keeping the good times going strong.

Here’s how it happens. You’re hell-bent on recreating that perfect cocktail you had three weeks back and serving it to all your guests on New Year’s Eve. So when the first person arrives, you start the prep: soak the sugar cubes, muddle some mint, crack some ice, flame an orange peel—and by the time you finish that one masterful creation, there are now eight people waiting for a drink. You hustle through a few more, but you’re harried and each drink becomes less great than the one before, and the wait list grows and grows. People start drinking beer, wine or whatever hooch they can get their hands on and, at night’s end, exactly one of your guests has the drink you imagined.

The one-word solution: punch. Punch was created for exactly this reason. The quantity control is done upfront. You can sit and serve them at will and be the host you imagined. We’ve tapped Simon Ogden of Victoria’s Veneto Tapa Lounge to craft a party drink that has an individual charm. Get the recipe for his Rosemary’s Baby punch here.

punch recipe for parties