… And Other Great Sippable Gifts for Sunday!
It’s the time of year where we raise a toast to the great ladies we’re lucky to call our mothers. Have you got her something special for Sunday yet? If you’re still looking, skip the knick-knacks she doesn’t need and check out our liquid gift guide.
Wake her up with the smell of coffee. Nossa Familia (“our family” in Portuguese) roasters’ Mathilde French Roast is a favorite among my female family members. The Portland-based operation gets their “Family Traded” beans direct from relatives in Brazil and toasts them at their Pearl district roastery ($11/12oz).
Make her breakfast in bed, and don’t forget the mimosas. Nothing is classier or more classic. We suggest springing for the good stuff – fresh-squeezed orange juice and Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine from Argyle Winery. Argyle knows bubbly is what moms really want – it’s the reason they’ve established Portland Bubbles Week to run now through Mother’s Day. If you’re in Portland, take mom to Sunday’s Raven & Rose bubbles tasting event: if not, buy the bottle and celebrate from afar ($50).
It doesn’t get more relaxing than a good book and a glass of wine. Pick her out some summer reading and pair it with Notebook Red Blend (formerly Bookmark) from J. Bookwalter. The quirky and wildly popular Columbia Valley bottling features both horizontal and vertical blending and isn’t too heady for the hot weather ($15). If your mom’s a white wine aficionado, beat Sunday’s forecasted heat with a chilled Riesling. Flower-labeled Naches Heights Vineyard’s Riesling makes a beautiful gift and a sweet treat at $14 a bottle.
Don’t relegate beer to Father’s Day, even if the Washington Brewers Festival does. If your mom is a new initiate to the wonderful world of tasty beer, ease her into things with Laurelwood’s lightest summer seasonal, the Mother Lode Golden Ale. If she’s happier with hoppier, Workhorse IPA should do the trick. Then again, don’t forget the estival nectar that is fruit beer. Granville Island Brewing’s False Creek Raspberry Ale is wondrously light and almost cider-like in its drinkability (store prices).
For all of us with crafty mamas, summer’s the perfect time for craft cocktails. Surprise her with the versatility of vinegar (Pok Pok’s zippy Honey Drinking Vinegar, $15) or else splurge on curiously fragrant bitters – Seattle-based Scrappy’s carries varieties like flagship Lavender and the much punnier Cardamom. Of course, there can be no crafty cocktails without high-quality spirits: explore fruit-infused options like Idaho’s 44˚ North Mountain Huckleberry Vodka ($29.99). And for mixers or zero-proof drinks of their own, look no further than our favorite all-natural DRY Soda Co. You can mix as you wish, or clink and drink from the pretty bottles of lavender, cucumber or blood orange elixir on the porch, patio, or with a garden picnic. (Store prices.)
But no matter what’s in your glass on Sunday, time spent with her will be sweeter. Cheers to our moms!
