Mother’s Day Cocktails for Your Whiskey-Loving Mom

I hope you’ve dusted off your fancy hats and laid in extra supplies of flowers and bath salts, because this year, the Kentucky Derby and Mother’s Day fall on the same weekend.

Any of these are perfectly at home nestled next to French toast and fruit salad – or used as a balm to salve the indignity of losing at the track. Or both? Hey, you know your moms best.

• 2 ounces bourbon
• 1 ounce fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice
• ½ ounce honey

Shake thoroughly with ice, then strain into a chilled glass.

• 2 ounces Macallan 12-year
• 1 1/2 ounces oatmeal horchata (blend 1 cup oatmeal with 3 cups water briefly, pour into an airtight container and let sit overnight)
• 1 1/2 maple-cinnamon syrup (see note)
• 3 dashes coffee bitters

Shake all of the ingredients with ice and strain into a coupe.

Note: To make the maple-cinnamon syrup, mix 1 1/2 cups water with 1 1/2 ounces brown sugar, 1 1/2 ounces maple syrup, 3 cinnamon sticks and 2 pinches of salt in a pot. Bring to a boil, then take the pot off the heat and let sit for at least 2 hours before straining.

• 2 oz whiskey
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¾ oz lemon juice

Shake vigorously over ice until the sugar is dissolved, then strain over ice into a chilled glass. Garnish with a citrus slice or cherry, if that’s your thing.

Ginger tea hot toddy. Most people think of hot toddies as an apres-ski kind of drink, and while I don’t disagree, they’re also a delightful morning eye-opener. I like hot toddies made with rye, but other options will do in a pinch.

• 2 oz rye whiskey
• ¼ oz lemon juice
• ½ oz honey
• Six ounces hot ginger tea

Stir together honey and lemon in a warmed mug. Add whiskey, then top with hot ginger tea. A hot toddy should be pleasantly warm but not piping hot, which can accentuate alcohol vapors.