No one needs a drink at the end of the day more than moms. So why not show them the appreciation they deserve by whipping up a delectable cocktail, accompanying the ultimate breakfast in bed? Whether she prefers wine or the hard stuff, one of these pairings are bound to hit her guilty pleasure nerve!
Pairing 1
2014 Robert Mondavi Fumé Blanc With Crab Salad or Shrimp Provencal
This fresh and zesty white wine was suggested to us by Megan Schofield, a winemaker at the Robert Mondavi Winery, where there’s a bevy of mom-friendly options. This under-the-radar Fumé Blanc is the ultimate white wine with an oaky finish. It pairs perfectly a crab salad or a shrimp provencal – just follow the recipes below.
Crab Salad With Avocado and Almonds
- 2 ripe avocados
- 1 lime, juice and zest
- 50g salted almonds, roughly chopped
- 2 spring onions, chopped
- 2 baby gem lettuce, washed and thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp basil, chopped
- 500g white crab meat
- ¼ tsp ginger, finely grated
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of pepper
- 70ml olive oil
- 15ml white wine vinegar
- ¼ tsp Dijon mustard
Peel and roughly dice the avocados, squeeze lime juice over them and put to one side.
Mix the spring onions, nuts, basil and lettuce in a large bowl.
Add the ginger and crab meat, mix well and season with salt and pepper.
Combine this with the avocado, mix everything together, and check seasoning.
Beat the oil and vinegar together until emulsified and mix through the salad just before serving.
Shrimp Provencal
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 12 oz shrimp
- 2 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp capers
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 sprig Italian parsley
Heat half the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and cook until lightly browned.
Add garlic, capers and remaining oil to the skillet and cook for 30 seconds.
Turn the shrimp over and add lemon juice and half of the parsley. Turn heat down to low and cover skillet.
Cook until shrimp are cooked through and the sauce is slightly reduced about 5 minutes.
Serve shrimp on plates, spooning sauce on top and sprinkling with remaining parsley.
Pairing 2
If she’s a bigger fan of reds over whites, try this Gabbiano Chianti by 
Castello Di Gabbiano, an Italian wine producer who has been around and making bold wine creations since the 12th century. This wine contains a full-bodied but balanced flavour that comes together in perfect tandem. Serve it alongside this mouth-watering recipe is made up of rosemary sausage skewers with potato chorizo salad and a well-seasoned soft boiled egg with chives.
Gabbiano Chianti by Castello Di Gabbiano With Rosemary Sausage Skewers, Potato Chorizo Salad, and Soft Boiled Egg
- 200 grams potatoes, peeled & diced
- 50 grams chorizo, chopped
- 1/4 mild red onion, sliced thinly
- 2 teaspoons capers
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (also red wine vinegar, cider vinegar or any similar vinegar)
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- chives, finely chopped
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook for about 20 minutes or until tender but still firm. Drain. Transfer to a bowl.
In a small saucepan, cook the chorizo without any oil. Cook until toasted. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar. After 30 seconds, take the pan away from the fire and pour on the potatoes.
Mix in the chives, onions and capers.
Season with salt & pepper.
Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
Rosemary Sausage Skewers
- 6 – 8 mini salsicce (sausages)
- 6 – 8 rosemary twigs with needles
- 6 – 8 cherry or datterini tomatoes
Insert a sausage and a tomato in every rosemary twig. Leave the needles attached to the twigs because they help secure the sausages and tomatoes in place ensuring that they don’t slide out.
Cook in a pre-heated oven of 180°C for 30 minutes or until the skin becomes brown.
Soft Boiled Egg with Piment D’espelette & Chives
- 2 eggs
- piment d’ Espelette (or substitute with mild paprika)
- chives, chopped
- salt
In a small pot, bring water to a boil. Cook the egg in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of cold water. After about 2 – 3 minutes, peel.
Sprinkle with salt, chopped chives and piment d’espelette.
Pairing 3
If she’s not on board with a wine cocktail, this Bacardi one with their Grand Reserva 8 Anos will definitely wake her up. whip her up a Sequito cocktail (recipe below) brought to us by Montreal bartender Sabrina Mailhot. Pair with this irresistible whipped feta and avocado toast recipe, which has an unexpected flavour of peaches within. Sounds bizarre, but the flavours work in harmony for a light but satisfying before-noon cocktail.
Sequito
- 2 oz BACARDI Grand Reserva 8 Años
- 1 oz Fresh Orange Juice
- 0.5 oz Lime Juice
- 0.5 oz Grenadine
- 0.25 oz Banana Liqueur
- 2 Dashes Aromatic Bitters
- Garnished with a Lime Wheel
Whipped Feta
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Toast
- Whole Grain Bread, toasted
- Peach Slices
- Ripe Avocado Slices
- Salt and Pepper
- Honey
To make the whipped feta, combine the cream cheese and feta in the basin of a food processor. Process on high until smooth and creamy, about three minutes. While the food processor is still running, stream in the olive oil.
To assemble toasts, spread about two tablespoons of the whipped feta on a piece of toast. Top with avocado slices and peach slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then drizzle with honey.
Pairing 4
While you might know Grand Marnier within cooking for its famous Crepe Suzette recipe, it’s so much more than a classical Parisian soiree beverage once served on the Titanic (though that is its famous heritage) This iconic drink would be ideal served in a Grand Old Fashioned, Grand Sidecar, or Grand Margaritas, according to mama’s preference. Pair it with this decadent french toast recipe, which stuffs sweet slices of bread with strawberries and bananas, topped with none other than a Grand Marnier syrup, of course.
Grand Marnier Margarita, Old Fashioned or Sidecar with strawberry and banana stuffed french toast with Grand Marnier syrup.
Macerated Strawberries
- 3 cups hulled and quartered strawberries
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Grand Marnier Syrup
- 1 cup Grand Marnier
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- Grated zest and juice of 2 oranges
- ¼ cup water
Strawberry and Banana Stuffed French Toast
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup half and half
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 – 4 grates fresh nutmeg
- 8 oz cream cheese, whipped
- 12 slices brioche bread
- 1 cup hulled and sliced fresh strawberries
- ¼ cup strawberry jam
- 1 cup sliced bananas
- 2 – 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- Fresh whipped cream, for serving
- Toasted sliced almonds, for serving
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Macerated Strawberries
In a medium saucepan, combine the strawberries, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and 1/4 cup water and stir. Bring to a simmer, and then lower the heat and swirl.
Cook until the strawberries are soft (but not falling apart) and the liquid is syrupy, 7 to 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Grand Marnier Syrup
Combine the Grand Marnier, sugar, orange zest, orange juice and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Set aside to cool.
Strawberry and Banana Stuffed French Toast
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, granulated sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Stir the cream cheese to soften, and then spread on 6 of the bread slices. Top each slice with a layer of the strawberries. Spread a thin layer of strawberry jam on the other 6 pieces of bread, and top each slice with a layer of the bananas. Place each bread slice with strawberries together with a bread slice with bananas to form 6 sandwiches. Press around the edges to seal.
Melt the butter in a nonstick sauté pan (or flat griddle top) over medium-low heat.
Dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture for a few seconds on each side, allowing any excess to drain off, and then place in the pan. Cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Slice in half on the diagonal and serve topped with the macerated strawberries, whipped cream, toasted almond slivers and a good dusting of confectioners’ sugar. Drizzle with the Grand Marnier syrup.
Grand Margarita
This highly refreshing cocktail pairs the sour flavour of lime with the herbal notes of tequila, while Grand Marnier’s eccentric blend of oaked cognac and bitter orange essence adds a refined smoothness and a heightened drinking experience.
RECIPE:
- 30ml. / 1oz. Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge
- 30ml. / 1oz. tequila
- 20ml. / 0.5oz. fresh lime juice
- Lime wedge to garnish
SERVE:
Begin by filling a wide, shallow dish with 2-3mm of fine salt. Cut a lime in half and rub around half of the glass rim
Then, holding the glass upside down, dip the wet half delicately into the salt, so that it adheres to the rim to a thickness of 2-3mm
Shake the Grand Marnier, tequila and lime juice with ice and strain into the glass
Apply lime wedge to the rim of the glass
