11 Star Bartenders Share Their Mother’s Day Drink Recipes

Mother’s Day (first celebrated in the U.S. in 1908 by Anna Jarvis of Grafton, WV) is often marked by breakfast in bed, Mimosas at brunch, and a nice bouquet of flowers. There’s nothing wrong with that. But sometimes your mother (or grandmother, aunt, mother figure, or dad who fills the “mom role”) could use something a little stronger. My own mother—a spitfire and outside-the-box thinker who took me along to Equal Rights Amendment rallies when I was little—drank warm brandy when I was young, wine when I was older, and came into the world of single malt Scotch whisky (especially Aberlour) late in her life. So each year I lift a little dram in her memory, and thank her for teaching me early about strong, smart, passionate women.

This year, to celebrate, we reached out to bar folks and asked them what they’d pour. Not everyone connects with their birth mother: Some have more than one mother, some have found guidance from nurturing mentors from within or without their extended families. But each told us why that person changed their lives.

Renee Harper

Bar Manager, Valley Bar (Phoenix)

Consultant, Rattle & Rum Catering

Brand Ambassador, Perfect Puree of Napa Valley

My mom has been my rock my entire life. She’s creative, beautiful, funny, talented, smart, silly generous and she embodies the kind of character I’m constantly striving for. My siblings and I are so lucky we got her as our mom. She’s been there for every milestone and struggle, and always reinforced the ideals of strength, wisdom and kindness with her actions. Becoming her friend in my adult years has been the best part!

For Mother’s Day, I want to make her drink as special, complex, comforting and familiar as she is. Mother Knows Best is made with tea-infused Gray Whale Gin and the Perfect Purée of Napa Valley’s Strawberry Purée.

Mother Knows Best

1 1/2 oz Gray Whale Gin infused with Earl Grey Tea

1/2 oz Bauchant French Cognac and Sweet Orange Liqueur

1/2 oz Perfect Purée Strawberry Purée (thawed)

1/2 oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice

1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

1/4 oz Desert Blossom Honey Syrup

2 dashes Pink House Alchemy Honeysuckle and Chamomile Bitters

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well, double strain and serve up. Garnish with edible flowers.

Sam Nelis

Beverage Director, Barr Hill Gin

Out of everyone I’ve met since I started this career, my parents are the ones whose ‘drinking lives’ have vastly improved the most. They were never big drinkers: my mom would sometimes drink white wine mixed with 7-Up (only if it was sunny and only if she was near the lake).

My mother grew up in Montreal in an Italian household that appreciated Italian bittersweet digestivos and amari. It should have come as any surprise that she and my dad both fell in love with Campari almost instantly, once I reintroduced them to it in the form of a Negroni. It didn’t hurt that the gin I used—Barr Hill—is one of the richest, most aromatic and approachable gins I’ve ever had. She claims the classic Negroni is too strong for her, so she switched to Negroni Sbagliato, which swaps out sparkling wine for gin, unless it’s “made with that good gin from Vermont with the honey.”

My parents now live in Moldova, and my mom got COVID-19 while my dad was away for a couple of weeks. For a few weeks he stayed down the street, they would visit through the living room window, and he would bring the fixings for a Negroni, of course.

Baylee Hopings

Bartender Bon Ton ATL (Atlanta)

My mom is my biggest fan, and will drink any cocktail I make, even if it has ingredients she doesn’t like! I find it to be utterly endearing, because I struggle to eat or drink things I don’t like, and honestly very rarely do so. I think it speaks to the labors of love a mother endures for her child.

Because of that I would endeavor to make she’d really enjoy with Jean-Luc Pasquet’s Cognac. She enjoys fruity drinks, more on the fruity side, so I think I’d make her a French 75 riff with JLP Cognac (the L’Organic ’04 preferably) and JLP Marie-Framboise aperitif with lemon juice, a nice sparkling wine and a spritz of absinthe. Moms deserve pink cocktails, especially on Mother’s Day.

Michael Ring

Southern Belle (Atlanta)

While I am a cisgendered gay man, I will never forget the day I was adopted by my drag mother Corian / Ella-saurus Rex (the mother of House Rex). Three days after moving back to Atlanta (after having been away 14 years), I wandered into Mary’s, my local East Atlanta gay bar, and Corian immediately knew I was the new guy on the block. He put his arms around me and started introducing me to everybody like we were old friends, and we’ve been very close since that day.

Corian beams positivity and is so intentional with words of encouragement. Sometimes the motherly advice comes out when you want to hear it, and sometimes when you don’t, but when you need to hear it!

Ella reminds me to use what I’ve got to make the most of every situation and bloom where I’m planted. That’s why my Savor the Summer strawberry milk punch would be the perfect tipple to serve her. Composed mostly of bar and kitchen leftovers, this milk-washed strawberry, citrus, vanilla and ginger punch has the most amazing red golden hue. Slane is the perfect Irish whiskey for mixing, as it offers a smooth whiskey kick to balance the citrus-strawberry sweetness.

David Kaplan

Founder, Co-Owner Death & Co (NYC, Denver, LA)

I’m going to cheat a bit and say that watching my ever-inspiring wife, Jenna, become a mother has become an incredible evolution in our relationship, and in the admiration I have for her. She’s an incredibly driven individual and I love seeing her balance her love for our daughter and that precious time, with the demands of her work.

Jenna inspires me to both work hard to achieve my goals, but to set it down and live in the moment for our family. When our daughter is going through a sleep regression, or Jenna’s clients have been particularly challenging, I pour her a Negroni. I also make sure I have a batched bottle in the freezer, for when she needs another!

Corina Seligman

Bartender, District Oakland

I am fortunate to have a healthy mother who lives not to far and is still a part of my life. She’s a very creative woman and has never worked for anyone else as long as I’ve been alive. Authority is definitely not her thing! I admire how much space she allows for people to be who they are. She takes everyone as the come and doesn’t impose her judgement or agenda on anyone - except maybe me sometimes, but she’s my mom!

My poor mother has had a limited diet for the past few year, and pretty much only drinks white wine and some beer these days. If she didn’t have to worry about that, I’d pour her a nice tangy, salty strong margarita!

Marcelo Chasia

Barman Academy Ambassador

Former bartender, Bathtub Gin (NYC)

My mother came to the U.S. from Ecuador looking for the American Dream. She had $500, started by sleeping on the floor, working two jobs and taking care of two kids. She never gave up and set a high example of perseverance and love for her kids. Now she’s made it: she owns her own home, has a very good job, and is retiring next year, so she can finally rest and enjoy herself in Manabí, in her home state in Ecuador.

So this cocktail — the Manabí Daiquiri — is inspiried by her, mixing together her favorite drinks, the coquito and the banana daiquiri, and recalling her Ecuadoran background. Every holiday she has a drink similar to this and it definitely puts a smile on her face.

Manabí Daiquiri

1.5 oz Zhumir Aguardiente Reposado (or aged rum if you can’t find)

.5 oz Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum

1 oz Perfect Puree Coconut

1 oz Perfect Puree Banana

.5 oz Fresh Lime Juice

Banana Brulee and Ground Coffee for Garnish

Blend all ingredients (except garnish) in a blender on high speed until smooth. Pour into a chilled coupe, garnish with bananas brulee slice (torched bananas) and a light sprinkle of coffee.

Donald Young

Executive Chef & Partner, Venteux (Chicago)

My mother definitely provided me with the push and steering to stay on this path I have chosen. Without her, I would have given up on the restaurant industry when I was 17.

For Mother’s Day, I’d recommend a drink from our menu that’s similar to a Fuzzy Navel wine cooler called The French Alchemist (Grey Goose Vodka, Chandon Champagne, St Germain, prickly pear syrup).

H. Joseph Ehrmann

Owner, Elixir (San Francisco)

Chief Mixology Officer, Fresh Victor mixers

While on Thanksgiving holiday at my mother’s house in Manchester Township, New Jersey, I told my mom I was going to create a cocktail in her honor (since her own fondness for Scotch whisky contributed directly to mine). I didn’t have a bar full of products to play with, so I created the cocktail in my head. I then entered it into the 2010-2011 Domaine de Canton Bartender of the Year competition, making it to the Western Regional Finals.

The Manchester

1.25 oz Glenmorangie 10-year Single Malt Whisky

1 oz Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur

1 oz Fresh Victor Lemon Sour

.5 oz Clover Honey Syrup

1 medium egg white

2 fresh rosemary sprigs

At the bottom of a mixing glass, muddle the leaves of one rosemary sprig, bruising the leaves well. Add the remaining ingredients and dry shake well. Fill with ice, re-shake, and strain into a chilled cocktail coup. Slap second rosemary sprig and garnish.

Jess Keene

Bar Director, Pacifica Brewery (Pacifica, CA)

Co-Owner Keene Record Hospitality

I would not hesitate to call my maternal grandmother my soulmate. I have always regarded “Reetz” (a preferred nickname derived from her given name, Rita) as a prominent influence in my life. She was by no means your run-of-the-mill grandma. She was a classy, sassy, and brassy dame with a killer eye for style and rapier wit, and she always understood me even when others did not. Sadly, Reetz abruptly left this mortal coil 7 months ago, and not a day passes when I don’t feel a spark of her presence.

Although Reetz did love her whiskey-and-water (a “brown one,” she called it), she had a super special place in her heart for chocolate. Like really special. One year I introduced her to the TGIFriday’s standard Mudslide. She ended up drinking 4 of them and getting rather schnockered, spawning a new nickname: Mudslide Sally. I would be more than delighted to pull out the blender to bring Mudslide Sally out to play again!

Adam Fournier

2021 US Bartender of the Year, Diageo World Class

I am very fortunate to have had my mother as a constant throughout my life. She and my dad did the Herculean task of raising four, very opinionated children while working full time jobs. While doing all of that, she also went back to college to get her Master’s degree. She inspired a love of learning and physical fitness in all of her kids.

Even though we live on opposite coasts, she will still call me up to walk her through how to make a cocktail for her or my dad. My mother knows what she likes: she’ll often look over a cocktail menu, find the cocktail she wants, then immediately ask the server if she can substitute gin and add basil. And maybe leave out this other ingredient. No matter how many times I tell her she can just ask for a basil gin gimlet, this is her ritual. So the next time she’s sitting in front of me at the bar, I’ll be modifying whatever cocktail she likes into a basil gin gimlet.