Alternative Easter: Bloody Marys and other sacrelicious cocktails

The perfect accompaniment to brunch is the meaty Bloody Mary, but for those who prefer a lighter touch a simple Mimosa is a good bet and always mix up a fresh and zesty mocktail for the non-imbibers. Some mocktails can be too sweet to have with a meal, a mojito is a really nice option as it is so flavoursome, tangy and just a little sour.

Bloody Mary  2 parts vodka 4 parts tomato juice ½ part fresh lemon juice (to taste) 4 dashes of Worcestershire sauce 4 dashes of Tabasco Sea salt Pinch of black pepper Some cubed ice To garnish: Crushed black pepper, sea salt and celery sticks. Directions: 1 Add plenty of ice and all of your ingredients to a shaker or stirring glass 2 If you’re using a shaker, tilt it backwards and forwards a few times to mix the ingredients without making the drink frothy. If you’re stirring, you can do so vigorously. 3 Before pouring, dampen the rim of each glass, dip each in crushed black pepper and sea salt. Pour the mix into the glass. Top up with fresh ice if it’s not quite full. 4 Add your garnishes. Any fresh herbs and a celery stick work well. NB Some like it hot (not): if you’re making Bloody Marys for a group of people keep everyone happy by making a jug without spice and let people add their own Tabasco. Mimosa Ingredients: 1 part champagne or sparkling wine, well chilled 1 part citrus fruit juice, well chilled (orange is traditional, though we like grapefruit for a bit of a wild card) Garnish: Fresh strawberry or wedge of orange or grapefruit. Directions: 1 Half fill champagne flutes wih champagne or sparkling wine then top up with the citrus juice, and add your garnish. 2 Make a toast! Mock-hito Serves 6 Ingredients: 1 whole lime peeled 1/2 cup fresh lime juice 6 tablespoon agave (or brown sugar if preferred) 8-10 mint leaves 1 tsp freshly minced ginger 6 wedges of peeled lime 36 mints leaves 2l plain sparkling water ice cubes Directions: 1 Place 1 whole peeled lime, lime juice, agave, ginger and 8-10 mint leaves in the blender on high for a few seconds until smooth and creamy. 2 In six individual glasses - place 1 wedge of peeled lime and 6 mint leaves. 3 Muddle with a wooden spoon to extract the juices just a little bit. 4 Add 4-6 Tbsp of the blended mix to this and top with sparkling water and desired amount of ice cubes. Join the conversation on Twitter @HerFamilydotie