A Mother's Day Picnic & Portable Cocktails

Mother’s Day Brunch is a really lovely idea, but as a mom with a young toddler, I’m looking for another way to celebrate this year. My Mother’s Day game plan this year: picnic and punches. Picnics are so much less stress than a formal brunch and its an easy way to include dads and kids of all ages. 

Pack a basket, some blankets, bubbles, and a few balls and then you can look forward to a lazy afternoon in the park. My husband usually packs a cooler of beer for picnics too, but I’m more of a cocktail drinker myself which got me inspired me to come up with these portable punches. 

Punches are basically big batch cocktails designed to satiate a thirsty crowd. I’m packing ours in the Plastic Soda Bottles and garnishing them with pretty craft sticker labels. 

 Cucumber Gin Lemonade 

Yield: 3 quarts of punch, approximately 12 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar 

1 cup lemon juice, from about 6 medium lemons

1 large cucumber, thinly sliced plus extra for garnish

4 cups water

4 cups ice 

3 cups gin 

Additional lemon slices for garnish 

How To:

Combine the sugar with the lemon juice and water in a large pitcher. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cucumber and steep for 1 hour at room temperature. Add the ice and stir again. Taste and top with additional water as desired. I find 4 cups of water is the perfect balance of sweet to tart!

Strawberry Watermelon Rum Punch

Yield: 2 quarts punch, 8 servings 

Ingredients:

1 quart strawberries, stems removed and cut in half

6 cups cubed watermelon, about 1 personal sized watermelon 

2 cups dark rum 

1/4 cup orange liquor 

1 lime, juiced

How To:

Puree the strawberries and cubed watermelon until smooth in a blender or food processor. Strain the resulting liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a large pitcher. Add the rum, orange liquor, and lime juice and chill for one hour.

A few tips for packing the punches: Use thinly sliced fruit or vegetables and roll them up to fit them into the bottles before filling. A funnel is your very best friend for filling the Plastic Soda Bottles. Be sure to label your bottle after you fill them – I had a few spill overs that would have ruined the labels.

To keep thing easy I’m picking up some greek salad and pitas from our favorite local deli and serving strawberry shortcake in these Paper Ice Cream Cups (the domed lid is prefect for fitting in extra whipped cream). 

Meghan Splawn is a professional recipe developer. She works full-time as part of Alton Brown's culinary team. Her personal blog, Stir & Scribble, is full of clever cooking, classic cocktails, and useful kitchen tips.


source guide & credits:

recipe, styling, and photography: meghan splawn of stir & scribble

plastic soda bottles, tall straws, paper ice cream cups, craft stickers, take out containers, wooden utensils, small napkins: shop sweet lulu


picnic basket and floral picnic blanket: vintage