How to host a memorable Mother’s Day
This Mother's Day, let's not leave it to the last minute. Whether it's your own mother, a mother-figure in your life or a loved one who is celebrating becoming a mother, they deserve more than a flimsy bunch of flowers and an underwhelming box of chocolates.
This year, we're all about the flowers. 'Flowers? For Mother's Day? Ground-breaking', we hear you say. But we're not relegating them to the vase, we're bringing the most brilliant blooms and bringing a selection of cocktails and hosting to tips to life, all stemming from her favourite florals.
Floral cocktails - drinks that match her favourite flowers
Picture it. Instead of just handing your mum a bouquet of her favourite flowers, you lead her to a table decorated with those flowers and you offer up cocktails inspired by the colours and flavours.
Whether it’s the simple addition of a floral syrup to a classic cocktail or you’re reimagining flavours for a special, signature drink just for her, these floral cocktails will make anyone feel blooming marvellous.
Lilac Gin Sour cocktail
The song might sing about making wine from the lilac tree, putting your heart in its recipe... well, we've taken our cue from that and put our heart into a recipe that any gin-lover will adore. The classic refinement of a gin sour, with balanced notes of botanicals and tart citrus, now with the added burst of lilac.
You’ll need:
60ml gin - we love a Tanqueray No Ten for this elegant serve
25ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
25ml lilac syrup
One egg white (or 10ml of liquid egg white substitute)
Lilac petals for garnish
To make:
In a cocktail shaker without ice, first dry shake the gin, lemon juice, lilac syrup and egg white until a hearty foam appears. Next, add ice to the shaker and shake again for around 20 seconds (or until the surface of the shaker is cold to the touch). Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and top with the lilac petals.
Aperose Spritz recipe
The sophisticated drink that’s showing no signs of going anywhere soon, with a very subtle riff perfect for a Mother’s Day catch-up. The rose syrup - while sweet if not used sparingly - works with, rather than against, the dry, bitter orange zing.
You’ll need:
50ml Aperol
100ml sparkling wine
25ml soda water
15ml rose syrup
To make:
Fill a wine glass or a gin balloon glass with ice and add your Aperol, Prosecco, sparkling water. Finish with a drizzle of the rose syrup and give a gentle stir. Garnish with a rose petal and a slice of orange.
Rose Mojito recipe
If your mum loves roses, she’ll be tickled pink by this floral twist on a Mojito, a quintessential ‘sippable’ cocktail perfect for any brunch or afternoon together.
You’ll need:
50ml Captain Morgan white rum
20ml rose water
1tsp brown sugar
1-2 wedges of fresh lime
5-10 fresh rose petals
Handful of mint leaves
Soda water to top
To make:
In the bottom of a tall glass muddle the fresh lime and brown sugar. Add a handful of mint leaves, a couple of rose petals (keep some aside for decoration) and your rose water. Gently muddle again. Add ice, pour in your rum, top with soda and give it a gentle stir. Garnish with your remaining rose petals.
Tequila Daisy cocktail
Very apt for floral cocktails, Daisy is the name given to a certain type of cocktails dating back to Victorian times. Made with citrus juice, sweetened with syrup or a liqueur, and fortified with a base spirit, a daisy drink is simple to make.
In coincidence number two, we're using tequila for this daisy, because it essentially becomes a Margarita. Do you know what Margarita means in Spanish? Daisy!
You'll need:
45ml Casamigos blanco
15ml Orange liqueur
15ml fresh lemon juice
10ml grenadine
One pinch of salt
15ml soda water
To make:
Combine all ingredients (except the soda water) in a shaker with ice and shake hard. Fine strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with an orange wedge and a clean daisy or a white flower.
Lavender Martini recipe
Is there anything more calming than the scent of lavender? How about an afternoon spent laughing and sharing with your nearest and dearest, sipping elegant drinks and surrounded by the aroma of fresh lavender?
You’ll need:
60ml gin - consider a Tanqueray London Dry gin for this, the dry botanicals will complement the floral lavender
15ml dry vermouth
15ml lavender syrup
2 dashes of orange bitters
To make:
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake hard. Strain into a martini or coupe glass and garnish with a sprig of fresh lavender.
Top tip: Feel like swapping out a cocktail for a non-alcoholic drink, or got leftover lavender syrup? Mix up an alcohol-free Lavender Seedlip Martini. You'll just swap out the gin and vermouth for 60ml of Seedlip Garden 108, and around 5ml of lemon juice instead of the bitters.
Elderflower Fizz cocktail
A floral take on a simple gin fizz, this elegant drink is deceptively simple while feeling truly regal.
You’ll need:
30ml Tanqueray London Dry gin
200ml Champagne or Prosecco
20ml elderflower cordial
To make:
Chill a Champagne coupe or flute beforehand. Start by adding your elderflower cordial and gin, and then slowly top with your choice of fizz.
Top tip: Prefer vodka to gin? You can swap out the spirit in this drink - and, in fact, the elderflower and Champagne flavours will shine through with the crisp, neutral taste of a vodka. Or you can consider a flavoured vodka that complements the elderflower - anything fruity or light.
Shop ingredients for these floral cocktails
How to make a floral syrup
If you like the idea of experimenting with the flavours of your mum’s favourite flowers for a range of cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks, having a selection of syrups to hand will allow you to try different options and combinations.
While many floral syrups can be bought in supermarkets and specialist food and drink stores, it’s easy to make your own at home.
Pour boiling water over your choice of flowers/petals, and simmer for 10 minutes
Like a good tea, let this sit and infuse for at least an hour or so, before straining into a pan
You’ll need to know how much weight of the infused liquid you’ve got to keep the proportions right when making the syrup, so measure this and then add to a saucepan filled with an equal weight of white sugar
Heat the pan until all the sugar dissolves and let simmer for another 5-10 minutes
Leave to cool in the pan, and once cooled, transfer to your choice of container and bottle.
Top tip: If you’re planning on making syrups well ahead of time, add a citric acid (like lemon or lime juice) to the syrup to help make it last. You don’t want to overdo it, though, as this will overwhelm the floral flavour. Consider adding around 10ml for every litre.
Different ways to use a homemade syrup
In addition to drinks, you can incorporate your syrups and infusions in your Mother’s Day celebrations by:
Drizzling over desserts
Add them in yoghurt or ice cream bowls
Stir into creams or butters
Decant into a nice bottle and give as a gift.
Dessert drinks and night caps
Whether it’s a Bailey’s Espresso Martini or a more understated nightcap, dessert cocktails are a great way to end a great day together.
You’ve spent some quality time chatting, wiling away the hours, and trying a satiating selection of sips and snacks - now it’s time for that little sweet treat you all left room for.
Dessert cocktails and 'digestif' style drinks
Hosting tips for Mother's Day - what food to serve, décor ideas and finishing touches
As much as we love the idea of our cocktail recipes taking centre stage, they really shouldn't be. With a bit of effort and planning, you can make the whole celebration a cohesive, memorable one - with every detail as notable and attentive as the next.
Match the décor and cocktails
No matter your budget, you can put together a table that exudes effort and thought. If you're serving floral cocktails, for example, match the flowers in the drinks with flowers in your décor. You can also keep this theme by thinking about the colours of those flowers and use them across napkins and other finishing touches. It's a small gesture that leaves a big impression.
Keep food seasonal
Embrace the time of the year - Mother's Day, depending on where you live, is either on the precipice of spring or in the throes of summer. Embrace where you are and have the freshest fruits and vegetables in your dishes and in your drinks.
Don’t overcomplicate it
You want to spend time together, either one on one or with a close knit group of family members and friends. Don’t try and tackle a dish that’ll have you stuck in the kitchen for most of the day.
Don’t forget the ice
A rule for any party is you can never have enough ice, but for this personal and intimate Mother’s Day celebration, you might want to consider something altogether different - flower ice cubes.
A perfect alternative if your mum isn’t so much into cocktails or sugary, floral syrups, you can transform any drink with her favourite flower petals frozen in an ice cube.
Pop some in a classic G&T, a Vodka Soda or even just a glass of wine and you’ve already shown how much thought and care you’ve put into the details. Just like mama taught you…
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