Looking to turn up your Mother’s Day brunch a notch? Here are some morning-friendly and delightfully refreshing cocktail recipes for her special day.
Mimosa Bar
You can’t go wrong with this classic drink. After all, who doesn’t love celebrating with a little bubbly? All you need is a few items to set up a well-stocked Mimosa Bar. Plus, it’s really fun choosing what combination to make!
Ingredients
Makes: 6-8 servings
- 1 – 750 ml bottle Champagne, Sparkling Wine, or Prosecco – choose dry or semi-dry.
- A variety of juice – orange, pomegranate, pineapple, strawberry purée, peach nectar or purée, mango, cranberry, watermelon
- Fresh Fruits – raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, orange slices, pineapple wedges, kiwi rounds
- Fresh Herbs – fresh mint, basil, rosemary sprigs, lavender.
- Fresh Flowers – nasturtiums, pansies, violas – make sure they are pesticide-free.
SET UP THE BAR: Fill a beverage tub or bucket with ice and add pre-chilled bottles of sparkling wine, champagne, or Prosecco.
Arrange labeled juice-filled carafes and bowls of fresh fruit and herbs, along with serving forks, spoons, and tongs on a table along with champagne flutes.
TO MAKE A MIMOSA: Add 1 part juice to 2 parts sparkling wine to flute. Garnish with fruit or herbs, as desired.
Classic Bellini
Here’s another classy, classic cocktail that is traditionally served in an elegant flute. A Bellini is a simple combination of peach purée and Italian Prosecco – a refreshing and delicious celebratory drink!
Ingredients
Makes: 6 servings
- 500 gm (about 2 cups) peach purée or peach nectar
- 1 – 750 ml bottle Prosecco
- Peach slices for garnish
Directions
TO MAKE PEACH PUREE: Peel and dice four pitted peaches and place in a blender. Add 3 ice cubes, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1/2 tablespoon sugar. Puree until smooth.
TO MAKE PEACH BELLINI: Add 2 oz fresh peach purée to a chilled champagne flute, slowly top with 4 oz prosecco. Stir gently. Garnish with a peach slice. Serve immediately.
NOTE: Peach nectar can be substituted for fresh peach purée. Use frozen peaches if you can’t find them fresh but be sure they are thawed completely before puréeing. If you want less pulpy juice, strain the purée through a fine-mesh strainer.
VARIATION: If you like frozen cocktails you can try a Frozen Peach Bellini. Blend together 1 lb frozen peaches, 3 cups prosecco, 1/3 cup Peach Schnapps and 2 tablespoons sugar. Purée until smooth. Garnish, as desired, and serve immediately.
Bloody Mary
Time: 10 minutes • Makes: 1-2 servings
Ingredients
- Juice of half of a large lemon
- 4 dashes of Tabasco sauce, or more to taste
- 2-3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- 12 oz cold tomato juice
- 1 shot of Vodka (or omit for virgin Mary)
- Celery stalk leaves, cooked bacon, olives, gherkins
Directions
1. In a pitcher, add lemon juice, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sea salt, and ground black pepper. Mix until well combined. Pour in the tomato juice and Vodka. Stir until well combined. Taste, and adjust any of the seasonings if necessary.
2. Pour Bloody Mary mix into 2 glasses. Garnish with celery leaf stalk, skewered olives, crispy bacon slices, and baby gherkins, if desired. Serve immediately.
Strawberry Rossini
Rossini, a variant of Bellini, is another classic Italian cocktail. Made with Prosecco, it is fresh and thirst-quenching.
Makes: 1 serving
Ingredients
- 7 ounces of chilled Prosecco
- 4 strawberries, puréed, plus 1 extra for garnish
- ice cubes, if desired
Directions
Clean and wash the strawberries. Cut in quarters and put them in a blender. Purée until smooth and then use a sieve to strain out seeds. Pour strawberry purée into a chilled champagne flute glass, and top with prosecco. Garnish glass with fresh strawberry.
