Happy Mother's Day

Something's wrong with the Beaver

It's Mother's Day! All hail mothers everywhere! A toast to the ladies who birthed us, changed our diapers, bathed us, clothed us, taught us valuable life skills like the importance of wearing clean underwear and looking both ways before crossing a street. Their font of wisdom is unending. Were it not for mothers who knows how many innovators and their innovations would have been lost to the world because they jumped off a bridge because everyone else was doing it?

I'm sure you're mother is fabulous. But. I have the most perfect mother in the world. Perfect because she's perfect for a kid like me. I'm certain there is not another mother who could have dealt with me with the unwavering patience and support my mother has given me.

Mom always said don't play ball in the house

Some mothers might not approve of imbibing, but, I say there's no one more deserving of a couple rounds of the top shelf goods than mothers. And Mother's Day brunches everywhere will echo that sentiment with Mother's Day/Brunch cocktail staples.

My dad and grandfather taught me about Scotch, and for that I'm grateful. But. My mother taught me most of what I know about Port. And how much to spike the punch when both the in-laws and friends from church are going to be together at the same party.* And champagne. Thanks to my mother I tasted and compared champagne to sparkling wine and learned to discern the difference. She also taught me how to make champagne cocktails, Kir Royales, French 75s...and Mimosas.

Ahhhh, Mimosas. The staple of brunches everywhere. Especially Mother's Day brunches. And for good reason. Champagne is the penultimate celebratory beverage. And mothers deserve nothing but the penultimate. If you're toasting your mother, or any mother, it better be with champagne, or at least a premium sparkling wine.

When making Mimosas it's not imperative that you use champagne. Because orange juice is heavy and syrupy, the delicate flavors of champagne get lost and somewhat wasted in a Mimosa. That's not to say you can skimp with a cheap bottle of sparkling wine when making Mimosas, but, as long as the Mimosa is poured and served shortly after corking, a nicely chilled mid-range sparkling wine is fine when making Mimosas. A strawberry garnish is traditional, but an orange slice is okay, too. If you choose to go traditional with a strawberry, make sure it's a large, fresh, juicy strawberry that you'd want to eat. In a Mimosa, the strawberry garnish isn't just for fancy looks. It imparts a slight hint of berry which tempers the orange juice and perfectly compliments the sparkling wine. So. Choose strawberries wisely and do a taste test before plunking one in the Mimosa.

Mimosa
What you'll need:
Sparkling Wine, chilled
Orange Juice, chilled
Strawberries for garnish
Champagne flute

How you'll build it:
Pour sparkling wine into champagne flute, fill to about half full, or approximately an ounce or ounce and a half. Fill remainder of glass with orange juice. Garnish with a strawberry.

• A float of triple sec or curacao will add a little extra kick and punch up the orange flavor.
• A sprig of basil or mint with the garnish adds a nice aromatic lift.  A cute garnish idea: Hollow out the center of strawberry about 1/4 of the way into the berry; tuck a basil sprig or a couple mint leaves into the hole; slice the berry about halfway up from the pointy end and slide onto rim of glass.

Let's talk Bellini.

In America, Bellinis are often made with champagne/sparkling wine and peach schnapps or peach nectar. Which is an acceptable brunch beverage, but it's not a Bellini. Regardless of what you may have enjoyed at an Italian-themed chain restaurant, Bellinis are a traditional Italian cocktail. And like many Italian recipes, they require traditional ingredients; and there is a traditional process.

A traditional Bellini is made with marinated, puréed white peaches and Prosecco. Maybe a swirl of cherry juice depending on the region of Italy. That's it. That's a Bellini.

Just as there's a difference between champagne and sparkling wine, there's a difference between Prosecco and sparkling wine. Prosecco is champagne's Italian country cousin. Whereas champagne can only be called champagne if the grapes hail from the Champagne region of France, Prosecco is a type of grape which makes a unique type of wine, and Prosecco can only be called Prosecco if it's made from Prosecco grapes. (Prosecco and Glera are the same grape, so if you see "Glera" on the label, it's Prosecco.) Yes, it's white, yes, it's sparkling, yes, it's dry. But. It has a distinct flavor that separates it from the crowd of generic "sparkling wines." I've seen bottles of Prosecco from countries other than Italy, but I haven't ventured a taste. Italian Prosecco is affordable and offers a reliable taste and I have not found a reason to venture to another country's Prosecco offering.


Bellini 
What you'll need:
4 - 5 medium White peaches
Prosecco (or Italian sparkling wine)
Champagne flute
Peach slice for garnish

How you'll build it:
Skin and slice peaches. Marinate skinned peaches in Prosecco for 2 - 4 hours. If you can't find Prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine will work. Purée marinated peaches in a food processor or blender until smooth and liquid. Pour two ounces of marinated peach purée in a champagne flute. Top with Prosecco (or sparkling wine). Do not stir! Garnish with peach slice. 

Optional:

• Grenadine float.
• Cherry juice added after the peach purée, before the Prosecco.
• Three or four fresh blueberries on top make a nice garnish that nicely compliment the peaches.  

Cheers, bubala.

An old school champagne cocktail I learned from my mother is a French 75. I once read it's called a French 75 because that was the slang term for a gun the French used in WWI. I have no idea if this is true, but it makes sense because the cocktail originated around that time. Until I learn a more definitive origin, I'm sticking with that legend. My mother makes them with gin, so that's how I learned to make them. However, they are also made with cognac in place of the gin. The first time I had a cognac French 75 I wasn't sure what to make of it, but, it grew on me and now I like them both ways. I'm not sure which is definitively correct, but chances are you have easier access to gin than cognac, so it's an easy introduction to this champagne cocktail.

French 75
What you'll need:
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Gin or Cognac
1/2 oz Cointreau
Champagne - yes, champagne.
Ice cubes
Lemon Twist for garnish
Champagne flute
Cocktail shaker

How you'll build it:
Add lemon juice, gin/cognac, Cointreau and ice in cocktail shaker. Martini shake. Strain shaker contents into chilled champagne flute. Slowly add champagne to fill remainder of glass. Garnish with lemon twist. The mixers in this drink are not as heavy or syrupy as in a Mimosa or Bellini. You will taste the champagne, so it's a good idea to use actual champagne. Or at the very least a French sparkling wine. (Unless you're in a mood to offend France, in which case choose a California sparkling wine. You will compromise the flavor integrity of the drink (which sounds like a very French thing to say) but you won't be bowing down to the French wine conventionality.)

Some mothers are known for their pie. Other mothers are known for their cookies. Some mothers capture glory from their potato salad or even meat loaf. My mother does a good job in all of those categories. But what she's really known for is her punch. This is a very versatile concoction that is refreshing on a hot summer day and zesty on a New Year's Eve. It's perfect for brunches, teas, bridal and baby showers, but it can hold its own at a cocktail party, too. My bartending roots can be traced to this punch. When I was about 7 years old I was deemed old enough to take on punch mixing duties. When the first guest arrived I was to begin mixing the punch in the punch bowl. I mixed everything except the booze. Once I had all the ingredients in the bowl, I was to summon one of my parents to "finish the job" by adding the booze. Typically we made two bowls of punch, one spiked, one "child-safe." It's good with or without booze, so, it's a nice option for a baby shower. 

Okay, here we go. This is my mother's punch recipe. Yield: One punch bowl full.
What you'll need:
All ingredients should be chilled before mixing. Punch should be mixed as guests are arriving, no sooner.
Three Cups Grapefruit Juice
1/2 Cup Sugar
32 oz. bottle of Ginger Ale
32 oz. bottle of Club Soda
32 oz. bottle of Collins Mix or, if you can't acquire Collins Mix, Fresca/Sprite/Grapefruit Soda
Champagne/sparkling wine or vodka or gin to taste
Maraschino Cherries + juice
Punch bowl. Yes, you'll need a punch bowl. Or at the very least a couple of containers or pitchers large enough to hold 100 ounces of liquid. 

How you'll build it:

Any excuse to break out the punch bowl!

Mix grapefruit juice and sugar in a pitcher. Pour into punch bowl. Add the bottles of mixers. Add spirit of choice, to taste. If using champagne or sparkling wine, pour in the entire bottle. If using gin or vodka, think of it as pouring a large drink. For punches, you generally want a 1:4 ratio, 1 oz. of liquor to 4 ozs. of punch. But you know your guests and their tastes and tolerances, so add booze accordingly. Add about two dozen Maraschino cherries and a couple tablespoons of the cherry juice. If you're serving the punch to guests, garnish with a cherry. If guests are serving themselves, let them decide if they want to garnish their drink or not.

If you want a very strong punch, add gin, vodka, rum and tequila for a fruity punch version of a Long Island Iced Tea.


*Just enough to put people in a good mood, but will go undetected. For a family or light-drinking crowd, a 1:6 ratio is best - 1 ounce of booze/6 ounces of punch.