Here's to our wonderful mothers,
Ladies who never grow old.
May their glasses be full, and spirits be raised;
And their cocktails sufficiently cold!
When Julia Ward Howe made her grand Mother’s Day Proclamation in 1870, she called for the mothers of the world to step forward and unite for world peace. Little did she realize some forty-four years later that the official Mother’s Day would become less universal global amnesty and more temporary familial truce.
Nevertheless, mothers of the nation must seize their day of respite, and we must continue to give thanks “in the name of womanhood and humanity”! So, without further ado, may we cordially present a special menu of five recipes to commemorate the many mother figures in our lives to whom we owe an eternal debt of gratitude, not just on the second Sunday in May but every day. Gin-Gin!
MOTHER MOSTESS
“Elegant foods and expensive entertainment aren't prerequisites to a successful party…its warmth and friendliness that counts.” So said Perle Mesta, the original hostess with the mostess. And though Perle had no children of her own, like any mother, she instinctively knew what brought people together to cement a lifelong bond. And so, today, we begin by raising our glasses to Mother Mostess, the jewel in every family crown, with our favorite celebratory sparkler – the Jubilee Spritz.
JUBILEE SPRITZ
2 oz Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur
2 oz sparkling wine, chilled
Pour Pomp & Whimsy over ice in a cocktail shaker and swirl until well chilled. Strain into a coupe and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a fanciful twist of citrus.
MATER FAMILIAS
If it’s been several months since you last spoke to your mother-in-law, it’s probably because she doesn’t like to be interrupted! So goes the old family joke, but the next time materfamilias starts getting a little too salty, may we suggest upping the game with something zesty? This lovely riff on the classic Paloma should help lighten up her tone and get her quietly back on the bright side.
POMPLOMA
1½ oz Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur
1 oz tequila Blanco
1 ½ oz grapefruit juice
1 oz club soda
Wipe the rim of a rocks glass with a wedge of lime and dip in salt. Fill the glass with ice, add the first three ingredients, and stir, before topping off with the club soda.
THE DOWAGER
“If you give your rich aunt one glass of this mixture, she will immediately get out her checkbook and keep adding noughts with every sip she takes until she is overdrawn” - Rose Henniker Heaton, The Perfect Hostess, 1931. Let’s face it, we all need a matriarchal mentor in our lives who has not risen to her station in life without ruffling a few feathers or sugar-coating the truth. Think of this sherry-based cocktail like a smoothing serum for grande dames – it will turn their harsh words of criticism into cherished pearls of wisdom with every sip. Mix up and carry on!
BAMBOOZLE
1 oz Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur
1 oz dry vermouth
1 oz medium dry sherry (e.g. amontillado)
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass and stir with ice until well chilled. Strain into a vintage cocktail glass and garnish with an expressed lemon peel.
SOUL SISTER
“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves; it is not my nature,” so said Isabella Thorpe in Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey. When your sister from another mister becomes a lady with another baby, she’s going to need to cash out all those friendship chips with interest. And because friendship is not a big thing, but a million little things, one little thing you can easily do is toast her supreme resilience with an elegant yet punchy cocktail. Try this gold label version of the classic Negroni, because as Isabella rightly said, for best friends, nothing less will do.
NEGRONI GOLD
1 oz Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur
1 oz gin
1 oz bitter white aperitif*
*e.g. Salers, Suze or Luxardo Bitter Bianco
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir well to chill. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist a piece of lemon peel over the drink for aromatics and use the twist as a garnish.
YOURS TRULY
And now to yours truly. The subject who is always performing the action, and the object who is on the end of every demand. To you, we say: love yourself first because, for better or worse, you’ll be spending the rest of your life together! After all that mixing for others, put your feet up and whirl a while with a Pomp & Whimsy on the rocks. Cheers to you, darling!
POMP ON THE ROCKS
2 oz Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur
Pour Pomp & Whimsy over ice and swirl to release the aromas. Serve, as always, in your most charming fanciful glass.