30 Mother’s Day Cocktails to Show Mom You Love Her (from Bloody Marys to Margs)

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, <30 minutes
• Serves: 16 to 18

Take a break from typical orange juice and serve a trifecta of mimosa flavors at Mother’s Day brunch. Mom has options: tropical (mango and pineapple), paloma (grapefruit and lime) and strawberry-basil. Having developed this recipe myself, I suggest a one-to-one ratio of Champagne to mixers.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 8

Traditional negronis require a lot of mixing if you’re serving a crowd. This version is both easier to make in large batches and lighter, so it’s ideal for a Mother’s Day celebration. "Thanks to Lillet Blanc, they’re slightly lighter, sweeter and more floral than the O.G.," former PureWow food editor Heath Goldman says.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6

If the name of the game is brunch, you can’t go wrong with a bloody Mary. In recipe developer Erin McDowell's experience, the key to making them extra tasty is high-quality tomato juice, seasoned just right so the drink is savory, spicy and balanced.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, special occasion­-worthy, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6 to 8

"With a cloud kiss of whipped mascarpone dolloped just so, I feel like a special little barista every time I serve it," recipe creator Alison Roman explains. You can (and should) spike this icy treat with vodka, coffee liqueur, Baileys or bourbon. It's optional, but it'll add subtle booziness to every sip while also making the frozen mixture easier to scoop.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 1

Speaking of frozen, did you know you can easily give a spritz the blender treatment? It’s one part boozy, two parts refreshing and 100 percent my favorite warm weather drink. Consider it an Italian vacation in the comfort of your own home.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
• Serves: 8

Year after year, PureWow editors never tire of rosé. These Mother's Day cocktails are basically snow cones for adults—what mom wouldn’t love that? (If you need more convincing, former PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen once served this at a brunch and it was a runaway hit.)

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 8

For the mom who just can't quit a good ol' sauvignon blanc over ice, stir together this easy, elegant version of a spritzer. It comes together in no time and serves a crowd. Freshly squeeze the grapefruit juice (and supplement a splash of gin), if you're feeling ambitious.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6

Orange juice? Yawn. Switch up your usual mimosas with watermelon juice, which is supremely refreshing any time of day. The recipe yields enough juice to make a bubbly bottle's worth of drinks. Cheers to that.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 2

Head to the farmers market to buy the prettiest, most fragrant strawberries you can find, then muddle them into these spicy Mother's Day cocktails. Habanero-infused rum adds an additional kick, but you can use a regular rum if Mom can’t handle the heat.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4 to 6

Once you’ve sliced the fruit, this pinkies-out British cocktail is shockingly easy to throw together. It’s also light enough to serve at brunch or as an afternoon sipper, so keep it in your back pocket for any warm-weather meal on your calendar.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 2

She’s not a regular mom, she’s a cool mom, and she wants beer in her bloody. Use any Mexican brew she likes, such as Tecate or Modelo. The real star here is an umami-rich, zingy mix of tomato juice, Tajín, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 1

This riff on the Aperol spritz will make your mom think she’s being whisked away on a tropical vacation. (She’s allowed to dream, right?) It’s worth noting that you’ll need dried hibiscus flowers to make the simple syrup, but you can find that at most spice stores or online.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 1

The gradient effect of grenadine poured over the back of a spoon into spiked orange juice makes for an impressive presentation, but lucky for you, these brunch-friendly Mother's Day cocktails are easy enough for beginners to prepare.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 1

Toss a spoonful of any fruit jam into your cocktail shaker to instantly customize your marg. (Strawberry, blackberry, apricot, orange, peach and fig are all solid options.) Not only that, but it allows you to skip the simple syrup.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 5

Whether you're throwing a show-stopping brunch or spending Mother's Day lazing around the house, a bellini is certainly in order. Up the ante by using fresh peaches instead of the canned stuff, but I won't tell if you'd prefer a shortcut.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 4

Swap the usual grapefruit juice for fresh strawberries and this paloma is ready for spring. A spicy chili-lime rim brings out the sweetness of the fruit, but you can use plain sugar or salt instead if you'd prefer.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 4

If your mom is a smoothie-a-day kind of lady, treat her to a boozy version for this special occasion. With Greek yogurt and coconut milk, it’s still kinda virtuous (even though there’s Champagne). Coconut rum would be a tasty addition, too.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4

Swapping red wine for lighter rosé means this pitcher is totally appropriate to serve before 11 a.m., right? Bring on the spring fruit, like strawberries and fresh melon balls. Fresh limes and oranges cut through the sweetness of brandy and orange liqueur.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 8

Homemade strawberry lemonade needs few adornments…unless you’re talking vodka. Your mom will love this one so much, she just might ask for the recipe (but at the very least, she's sure to ask for a second glass).

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 1

Some fruity cocktails are borderline cloying, but rhubarb is mouth-puckering enough that it’s not a risk with this drink. Paired with lime juice and a bit of sugar, it tastes like SweeTarts in the best way.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 6

With tomatillos, cilantro, cucumber and tomatoes, this Mother’s Day cocktail basically counts as green juice. (Right? Right.) Feel free to go over the top with garnishes (looking at you, shrimp), but I’d use a classic celery stalk if you want to keep it simple.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy, <30 minutes
• Serves: 2

These spiked floats are as simple as scooping sorbet into a glass and pouring bubbly over top, but they manage to look so impressive. Lemon and raspberry sorbets are easy on the eyes, but most importantly, they strike the ultimate balance between sweet and sour.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 1

Pisco is clean, refreshing and slightly floral, so it’s an ideal spirit to introduce to Mom on her special day. If you don’t feel comfortable using a raw egg white here, skip it. (The drink will have a slightly different texture, but the flavors will still be great.)

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 2

It looks like a smoothie, tastes like a party and comes together in no time at all. What more could Mom ask for? (Psst: To make it a mocktail, simply omit the tequila and swap the orange liqueur for orange juice.)

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 1

Gift your mom a vacation in a glass this Mother’s Day with a tangy-sweet rum punch that looks really impressive (but is surprisingly simple to make). The cocktail is made in the glass, so you don’t even need a shaker. For the ultimate ombré effect, start with the grenadine first, then add the fruit juices. Its higher sugar content makes it sink to the bottom. You'll just want to warn people to give it a stir before sipping with a straw though!

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 2

The combination of thyme and lemon is sweet, tart and savory all at once. Your guests might not be convinced by this Mother's Day cocktail's herbal flavor at first, but after one sip, they’ll be asking for more. Trust.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
• Serves: 1

This twist on a French 75 is rumored to be Taylor Swift’s favorite drink, and it’ll be your mom’s too, if you serve it up on her special day. Elderflower liqueur, grapefruit juice, gin and Lillet Blanc are responsible for its citrusy, floral splendor.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 1

Think cherry-lime soda, only with a boozy twist. This drink is ultra-bubbly and refreshing, but if you don’t like gin, I’d try vodka in its place. (Just don’t shortcut the fresh citrus with bottled lime juice, please! The freshness and acidity makes a huge difference, brightening up the whole drink.)

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, special occasion­-worthy, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4

As if the combination of pineapple, lime and tequila wasn’t enough, these Mother’s Day-ready cocktails are zhuzhed up with a salty-spicy Tajín rim for good measure. They'd pair seamlessly with spicy shrimp tacos.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 4

This simple spritzer is loaded with lemon for tartness, but you can (and should) add any seasonal fruit you have on hand, like cherries, strawberries or raspberries. Any white wine will work, but something light and dry, like a sauvignon blanc, is best.