Make Your Mom a Cocktail for Mother's Day Because She's Earned It

Mothers: Even when they're being paraded around on MTV shows, they're quite literally the people who keep the human race from plummeting into the inky abyss. They gave birth to your ass and molded you into the spectacular individual you are today, so why not do something extra special for them this Mother's Day?

We know you waited till the last second to buy her a gift anyways, so instead of giving her that rib-tickling Cathy mug or a CVS-procured Whitman's Sampler box, why not get creative and make her a cocktail or two… or four.

If your mom is a Carrie—and by that we mean someone who slept around in her youth while pounding Cosmos—we recommend the Pink Squirrel, which is a little trashy and a little sweet. Our recipe was created by Xanadu bar manager Francis Verrall and uses premium ingredients to give it an updated feel.

Is mom a little more outdoorsy? Then perhaps you should go for Julia Ziegler-Haynes's Lemon Thyme Jenever Cocktail. Jenever is a juniper-based liquor favored in the Netherlands, which gives the drink a piney flavor. The recipe calls for a whole bunch of thyme and—don't stress—gin can indeed be substituted for jenever if none can be found.

Or is mom more of a preppy classicist? If so, why beat around the bush? Go straight for the drink that kept the British Empire healthy and happy in the tropics: the gin and tonic. Our recipe was created by Maxwell Britten, a man who probably knows a thing or two about gin considering he's a brand consultant for Pernod Ricard.

Or perhaps your mom is stressed out—help her relax with the liquid equivalent of mommy catnip. Talia Baiocchi and Leslie Pariseau gave us their recipe for an Aperol Betty, which is basically a mimosa but with Aperol and two kinds of citrus juice.

There's a cocktail out there for each and every mom, and you'd be a pretty wise child to take a page from our book this Mother's Day. (And hey, you can always just make of these cocktails and treat yourself to whatever she doesn't end up drinking.)

Trust us, your mom will thank you.