Keep Mum in the Pink this Mother's Day

I always think that as one get’s older anything pink become a bit like Marmite, you either love it, or hate it, and of course novelist Barbara Cartland, famous for her pink frilly attire, springs readily to mind.
However, for Mother’s Day you can’t go far wrong in treating mum to a tipple or two if you stick to pink. Festive and fun, it will make mum feel like a young girl all over again.
Those of us seriously wanting to store up brownie points for the rest of the year will of course be planning breakfast in bed. With a little champagne perhaps? Forgive the cheesy theme, but champagne house G. H. Mumm produces a lovely rosy sparkler, at £40 a bottle. Predominantly Pinto Noir (60%), it is intense, with yummy red fruit flavours, and a hint of caramel and vanilla. Mumm remains one of only six champagne houses to hold a royal warrant from HM The Queen, so mum will be in good company.
Sticking closer to home Chapel Down Vineyard, in Kent, continues to go from strength to strength, producing award winning champagne method sparkling wines, and currently has on offer a Brut Rosé, at £22. A real treat, it has tiny bubbles and is reminiscent of honeysuckle, summer berries and rhubarb.
For classy still rosé wines without the fizz, Provence, in the South of France still remains a top choice for me, and here I’d recommend Domaine Ott’s Clos Mireille Coeur de Grain Rosé, 2012. Made from a blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah, it is pale pink, with golden highlights, elegant yet firm, and not all like the flabby, insipid cheap rosés on the market. Think wild strawberries, with a hint of citrus. Expect to pay around £30 a bottle.
If mum has more of a sweet tooth, then treat her to a bottle of Offley’s elegant Rosé
Port. Being what is known as fortified wine, it is high in alcohol at 19.5%, and available for £10.99.
And finally, turn mum into a real Pink Lady with the cocktail of the same name. The exact origins of the cocktail are not known, but it was popular with high society ladies in the 1930’s, and it is thought that Hollywood star and sex symbol Jayne Mansfield used to drink a Pink Lady before meals.
This classic cocktail has a light blush colour, due to the addition of grenadine syrup, and the key to mixing it successfully is to give it a good old shake, giving the top a rim of pink foam when poured. Recipes vary but this one is from the Bartenders Guild
You will need:-


Pink Lady
5cl Plymouth gin
2cl fresh lemon juice
1 to 2 dashes grenadine syrup
1 egg white (or 1tsp. egg white powder)
Pour all the ingredients into a shaker with ice
Shake well
Strain into a cocktail glass
Garnish with a maraschino cherry


A couple of these will be sure to put a pink glow on her cheeks.