IF YOUR mother has a thirst for creativity and loves the idea of some cocktail theatre to put the mojo into Mother's Day, why not serve her one of these stylish spirits tomorrow?
1. Esprit de Fizz
A French liqueur made from Mediterranean figs, Esprit de Figues (£25.15, 50cl, The Whisky Exchange) showcases the delicate nuances of this textured fruit, without the seeds.
Ingredients: 30ml Esprit de Figues, sparkling wine (we recommend Cremant de Loire).
Method: Add the sweet liqueur to a chilled flute and top with sparkling wine.
2. Apothecary Rose & Tonic
The Old Curiosity Distillery, Apothecary Rose Secret Garden Gin (£42, 50cl, Harvey Nichols) is a floral scented gin that changes colour when it's teamed with tonic. The natural properties of the plants react with the tonic to turn the spirit from neutral to pink.
Ingredients: 50ml Secret Garden Gin, Fever Tree Tonic.
Method: Half-fill a tall glass with ice. Add the gin and top with tonic. No need to garnish, the blossomy aromas speak for themselves.
3. Milanese G&T
For a Latin twist on a traditional gin and tonic, a splash of Campari (£15, Sainsbury's) will add colour, a bittersweet, herbal complexity and a little zest from Italy.
Ingredients: 25ml Campari, 25ml gin, Fever Tree Tonic, lime.
Method: Fill a tall glass with ice, add the Campari and gin, top with tonic. Add a squeeze of fresh lime and garnish with a lime wedge.
4. Pink Gin Fizz
Sounds like it's been around a while, but Gin Lane 1751 Victorian Pink Gin (£22.45, 70cl, Amazon) is a modern take on a classic 'Victorian style' gin - designed to capture the bold, juniper rich taste profile gin palaces famously served in Victorian times. Botanicals include orris root (comes from irises), Seville oranges, Sicilian lemon, angelica, star anise and cassia bark.
Ingredients: 30ml Gin Lane, 15ml Cointreau, Fever Tree Tonic, handful of strawberries.
Method: Muddle three large strawberries in a cocktail shaker and add the gin and Cointreau. Fill with ice and shake. Strain into a tall glass filled with ice, top with tonic and garnish with a strawberry.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here