Despite the recent storms, the daffodils are breaking through and there’s a sign that Spring is in the air. Also in Spring is Mothering Sunday, as it is known in the UK, which falls this year on Sunday 22nd March. The date changes each year as this celebration of mothers actually started as a Christian calendar date, whereby parishioners were asked to go to their ‘mother’ church on the fourth Sunday of Lent to pray for the Virgin Mary.
The Americans celebrate Mother’s Day on a different date, as their tradition started in 1908 by Anna Jarvis who wanted to honour her mother as she had helped wounded soldiers in the American Civil War. It became a national day that was marked in May each year. There are also numerous traditions and backgrounds for why we celebrate mothers. All carry the same sentiment of love and thanks for the person who perhaps has done more for us than anyone else.
So back to 2020 and there’s less than two weeks to go. You may have a mum, a step-mum, two mums, or if you’re anything like me, you’ll probably have to organise mother-in-law’s gift as well! However, with the selection of premium spirits and luxury liqueurs available at English Spirit, there’s no need to look any further to put a smile on mum’s face.
Here are my top five recommendations;
Dr J’s Gin (£38, 50cl, 45% ABV)
Yes, there are so many gins to choose from, but if your mum is a classic lady with discerning tastes then ditch the ‘novelty’, over packaged gins and give her something that states quality and simple elegance. Dr J's Gin is one of a handful in the UK to be made with the distillery's own base spirit: in our case, single distilled from East Anglian sugar beet. We use juniper, coriander, citrus zests and macadamia nut for a smooth, flavoursome gin. This is then something she can enjoy with friends and she’s bound to mention it was a gift from you!
Fruit Gin Liqueurs (£22, 50cl, 22% ABV)
As Mother’s Day falls in Spring, the pretty, natural colours in our fruit gin liqueurs make for a gorgeous gift. With our Dr J’s Gin as a base, but distilled with real fruit, they make for a refreshing drink either served neat over ice or with a mixer. Our Limongino is lovely with a traditional lemonade and the Rhubarb Gin Liqueur goes well with a ginger ale: and they all go very well added to Prosecco. If your mum likes to bake then this range is also great for drizzling over cakes, pavlovas and ice cream.
Miniature Gift Packs (£25-28, 5x5cl)
If you can’t decide but want to give a gift that will look well thought out then our miniature packs are perfect as an introduction to either our gin collection, spirit range or other liqueurs. If you are more local to our shop in Great Yeldham, you can make up your own pick and mix! The five miniature bottles are then presented in a simple, windowed gift box.
Special Editions
What better way to show your mum she’s a special edition than by giving her something that has those words on the label. We have a range of incredibly small batch liqueurs. Imagine that quality of England's original golden rum with the sweet, fresh taste of the best English Strawberries and you have our Strawberry Rum Liqueur. Even if mum isn’t a rum drinker this is sure to be a hit: but you could also opt for our Strawberry Vodka Liqueur. Either way these are exclusive and are sure to show a bit of extra attention.
The gift of an experience
Whether it’s with you, her partner or a friend, we’ve got a good feeling mum loves to get out and about when she can and do something that’s a treat for her. We have just the thing; our distillery tour is a great way to spend a relaxing afternoon looking around our Grade II listed distilling hall, followed by a tasting session in our tasting barn. We have tour vouchers that can be ordered and then redeemed up to a year later so that gives mum some flexibility of when she can go. You also have the option to buy a Master Distiller Gift Box which contains two tour vouchers, plus you can choose a 20cl bottle of one of our liqueurs to go in our beautifully presented gift box.
As you finish reading this article, hopefully you’ll agree that there’s no hand book given out to mums. In the majority of circumstances mums are handed you in your smallest form and then do whatever they can to love, provide and do their very best for you. As pretty as flowers are, they don’t last long and chocolates are just a bit ‘the norm’ and might even interfere with mum’s healthy eating - so something more unique will leave a bigger impression.
Oh and one last thing if your children are too young to buy from English Spirit (like mine) then make sure you ‘arrange’ a gift for their mum. I’m a mum myself now and glittery handmade cards are precious but so is a glass of something from English Spirit!
Sarah is an English Spirit Ambassador and Distillery Tour Guide, based near Great Yeldham in Essex.