Photo: Mother Lover by Jade Sotack of Jupiter Disco.
Is there a better way to celebrate your mother than by preparing a cocktail for her? Yes, actually there is: make her a cocktail that was created by a mother. New York City-based bartenders Natasha David of Nitecap, Lucinda Sterling of Middle Branch, and Jade Sotack of Jupiter Disco designed the perfect Mother’s day cocktails to celebrate your family’s matriarch. Plus, they are all mothers themselves. Each of these accomplished bartenders has a child under the age of one.
Natasha David (mother of 5-month-old Elliot and bartender at Nitecap)
Photo: Nitecap.
Crave: How do you juggle motherhood and bartending?
Natasha David: Doing both pretty much means very long days: baby all day and working at night. And babies don’t like to sleep in. But I wouldn’t change it for a thing!
How does being a mother make you a better bartender?
Working behind the bar is all about multi-tasking and taking care of people’s needs, so it’s actually prepared me very well for motherhood.
What’s the inspiration for the cocktail you made?
Mamas are busy and have to be on top of it and on-call at all times. But they deserve treats. This is a low ABV cocktail that feels like a “real” drink but won’t get you tipsy.
Breakfast in Bed
Photo: Nitecap.
Ingredients:
- 2 ounce Carpano Antica
- 3/4 ounce lemon juice
- 1/2 ounce simple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Brancamenta
- 1 bar spoon orange marmalade
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients; shake. Strain into double rocks glass with crushed ice. Garnish with a lavish mint bouquet.
Lucinda Sterling (mother of 1-month-old Zeta and bartender at Middle Branch)
Photo: Middle Branch.
Crave: How do you juggle motherhood and bartending?
Lucinda Sterling: Mothering involves so much in the way of nurturing, perfecting, scheduling, and preparing. Tending bar is very similar, without the joy of putting your guests at the bar to sleep at night. Staying alert and making sure everyone’s needs are met is a bit of a juggling act.
How does being a mother make you a better bartender?
Time management, proper prioritizing, and extreme patience are characteristics that I have honed in on improving across the board.
What’s the inspiration for the cocktails you made?
A classic, dessert-like cocktail called the Ash Wednesday with gin, cream, and fresh berries inspired the Sunday Morning Hues. Women who are leaders in wars between nations inspired the Conquistadora.
Sunday Morning Hues
Photo: Middle Branch.
Ingredients:
- 1 ounce Creme Yvette
- 1 ounce Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur
- 1 ounce Caffe Borghetti
- 1 ounce espresso
- 1 ounce mascarpone
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients except mascarpone with ice in an Irish Coffee mug. Top with mascarpone cheese and garnish with an orchid
Conquistadora
Photo: Middle Branch.
Ingredients:
- 1 ounce Mezcales de Leyenda San Luis Potosi
- 1 ounce Teeling small batch Irish whiskey
- 3/4 ounce Perfect Puree Pear
- 1/2 ounce allspice
- 3/4 ounce fresh lemon
- Orange bitters
- Club soda
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients in a shaker tin and shake with ice. Strain into a collins glass over ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with an orange wedge.
Jade Sotack (mother of 10-month-old Jet and bartender at Jupiter Disco)
Crave: How do you juggle motherhood and bartending?
Jade Sotack: Being a mother is a juggling act whether or not you are working. The late nights can be rough since many babies like to wake up bright and early, but Al and I lucked out and had a night owl who keeps bartender’s hours.
How does being a mother make you a better bartender?
Multi-tasking and being super aware of what is going on around me. I can spot a fight before it breaks out and I can tell if my daughter is being mischievous from across the room while I’m cooking dinner. Also, patience. After dealing with drunk adults, cleaning up adult vomit, breaking up bar fights, and comforting crying grown-ups for the past decade, there is really nothing a baby could possibly do that would frazzle me. I am capable of dealing with anything.
What’s the inspiration for the cocktail you made?
Aside from making it delicious? The Justin Timberlake song “Motherlover” and Jet’s astrology chart.
Mother Lover
Photo: Jupiter Disco.
Ingredients:
- 1 ounce Novo Fogo Silver Cachaca
- 1/2 ounce Fernet-Branca
- 3/4 ounce lemon juice
- 3/4 ounce honey
- 1 strawberry
- 1 orange slice
Preparation:
Muddle strawberry and orange slice in tin. Add remaining ingredients to tin; shake. Strain into coupe and top with prosecco. Garnish with a flower.
