In a highly scientific poll I just conducted, 8 out of 10 mothers said all they wanted for Mother’s Day was to get away from their wiener kids for an hour. The other two were passed out from exhaustion. OK, so maybe the poll isn’t that scientific, but taking mom out for brunch is such a boring tradition. Wouldn’t she rather relax with a cocktail than a plate of warm eggs? It’s possible I don’t fully understand the concept of motherhood.
Everywhere you turn you’ll find Mother’s Day deals this weekend, but for the MILTDWs (moms I’d like to drink with) here are a few special cocktail options.
What do mother’s like? Uh, flowers and fruit? Sure, probably, but even better when they’re mixed in with sparkling wine. At Red Lantern they’re serving up a cocktail called Mom’s Sparkling Bouquet that fits into the traditional motherly stereotype. It’s made with Stoli Strasberi, passion fruit, rose water, and sparkling rosé. It’s pretty and smells good, just like your mom. No offense.
The thinking behind the recipe they’re cooking up at Restaurant dante is, I guess, to return the favor of all those bag lunch sandwiches mom made for you while you were growing up? It’s a riff on a peanut butter and fluff sandwich, which, OK, sounds a little strange, but it just might work. It’s made with Castries Peanut Rum Crème, a surprisingly not-gross-like-it-sounds liqueur, Smirnoff Fluffed Marshmallow vodka, and has a peanut butter, fluff and Nutella coating on the rim.
For moms who like their cocktails a little stiffer, Alex Homans at Russell House is mixing up the Lifebringer, made with Hayman’s Old Tom Gin, Rotham and Winter Apricot liqueur, Peychaud’s bitters, and a Herbsaint rinse.
“Moms have kids, bring life to the world,” he says. “This cocktail will imbue the drinker with a renewed spirit as they drink it. It has a nice combo of sweet, bitter, and herbal notes, so it should be pretty accessible to most drinkers.”
At the Regal Beagle and Church, beverage director Adam Grushey knows sometimes dealing with your mother can be a stressful time for everyone. His recipe is for more savvy cocktailing moms.
“For all you Mother’s Day brunchers celebrating the one who coddled and cooed you into the idiosyncratic, unable-to-commit-neurotic you are today, here’s a drink for both you and her,” he says.
It’s a flip-style cocktail called Mom’s Gonna Flip Out made with Bols Genever (tell her it’s basically the mother of gin if she balks), rum, Crème Yvette, the violet berry liqueur, Luxardo Maraschino, and an egg white.
“When executed properly this drink is a beautiful deep lavender color,” Grushey says. “It’s a lot of shaking [the egg white] but the result is worth it. Just like a mother’s love, minus the shaking of course.”
