All the ideas you need for the upgrades she deserves.
It’s universally recognised that being a Mum is simultaneously the best, hardest and definitely the worst-paid job. Your mum has wiped your tears, cut the crusts off your sandwiches, and likely learned a whole lot more than she bargained for about dinosaurs, Pokémon, footy or whatever your particular childhood obsessions happened to be. Now that you’re a fully functioning adult, there’s a good chance she’s funding weddings, babysitting children (or pets) and still wiping those tears. Yep, Mums are the best, and they deserve to be celebrated on Mother’s Day (and every day).
This year, we’re proposing a different kind of Mother’s Day gift. Not a replacement for the things she loves, but an upgrade – a different version of what you'd usually get her. So, take your pick from the following ideas, which are some of the best Mother’s Day gifts from Dan Murphy’s.
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1. If you usually buy her flowers
Flowers are a beautiful way to show love and appreciation, but they need to be chosen right. To make someone feel truly special, the flowers have to be nice (read: alive and, ideally, pretty). Look for flowers that feel like your mum. If she doesn’t usually wear bright, clashing colours, skip the rainbow-dyed chrysanthemums.
A safer bet? A bottled bouquet. Gérard Bertrand Côte des Roses Rosé is light, dry and the prettiest shade of pink, and it comes in one of the most beautiful bottles in the wine aisle – shaped, naturally, like a rose in full bloom. It’s a Provence rosé in the truest sense: effortless, elegant and impossible to fault. Serve it well chilled, ideally in the garden. If she’s more of a gin fan, Japan’s Roku Sakura Bloom Gin is built around cherry blossom and sakura. It’s as floral as a bouquet and considerably longer lasting.
2. If you usually buy her chocolates
Chocolate is lovely, but if she’s still working through the Cadbury bunny from Easter, we need to dig a little deeper. What is it she actually loves about chocolate? If it’s the warmth and nuttiness of a (contentious) Fruit & Nut block, we can work with that. Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur is rich, sweet and deeply nutty. It’s the kind of thing you sip slowly after dinner and savour. Pour it over ice, stir it into a coffee or simply hand over the bottle with a great glass to go with it.
If Mum likes her chocolate darker and her post-dinner drink a little more sophisticated, Nikka Coffey Grain Japanese Whisky delivers a similar warm, confectionery-adjacent sweetness – think vanilla, toffee and a finish that lingers in the best possible way.
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3. If you usually buy her tea
That tea cupboard can’t take another box of chamomile. Time to pivot. If your mum is the type who takes her afternoon tea seriously – Wedgewood cups, three-tier plate stand, cucumber sandwiches, crust off (of course) – then she deserves a drink that matches the occasion’s energy. Think a Bridgerton house call (not the night time garden scenes): composed, elegant, quietly delighted by beautiful things.
Doozy Iced Tea & Lemonade is the laid-back, no-fuss version of her afternoon ritual: crisp, refreshing and perfectly balanced. This drink is best enjoyed on the back deck with absolutely nothing on the agenda.
4. If you usually buy her something beautiful
She’s the go-to among her friends (and yours) for interior-design advice, always looks a million dollars, and you just know there’ll be a grid-worthy tablescape whenever she’s hosting. She brings the same level of intention to everything she does – her home, wardrobe, Tuesday morning pilates. She has, in short, excellent taste.
For this mum, the gift has to be as considered as she is, so we’re going for the Mumm Marlborough Brut Prestige. It’s a collaboration between the storied French Champagne house Mumm and New Zealand’s celebrated Marlborough region in a single elegant bottle. The result is a refined non-vintage blend of pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier. Expect lemon curd and citrus blossom flavours, with a texture that one critic has called “seductively ethereal”, which is exactly the kind of language she’d appreciate.
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5. If you usually buy her something for gardening
Rather than a new spade (she has the one she likes, just like she already has her favourite gardening gloves and everything else), this year you’re giving her something rarer: your time. Show up early, do the weeding, move the heavy pots, seed the lawn and, while you’re at it, bring drinks.
For this occasion, Balter Cerveza is clean, cold, and completely unpretentious – the ideal companion to an afternoon spent together in the garden. If you’re after something a little more celebratory once the flower beds are done, Four Pillars Gin Smash is also a great pick – bright, citrusy and ready to pour straight over ice. No extra effort required.
6. If you usually buy her the latest trend
She was early to embrace farmers’ markets, linen everything and now the line-dancing revival. This Mum doesn’t follow trends; she sets them. This year, don’t try to beat her at her own game – meet her where the drinks world currently lives: tequila. Specifically, we suggest wrapping a bottle of Espolòn Tequila Blanco – a top-seller with a fuller body, bright fruity character, and a long, pleasantly spicy finish.
This is the tequila that’s been quietly taking over home bars and back shelves everywhere, and for good reason. Clean enough to sip, characterful enough to mix, it’s the kind of spirit that makes whoever receives it feel immediately cool by association. Tell her to serve it over ice with a squeeze of lime and a splash of soda, or shaken with triple sec and fresh citrus for a Margarita that will make her the talk of Mahjong Club.
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7. If you usually buy her something for the kitchen
Mum has the appliances, the good knives and an opinion about olive oil that she’ll share with you whether you ask or not. But what does she always need? A bottle worthy of the food she makes. St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is a wine that can hold its own served alongside her Sunday roast.
This is Coonawarra at its finest: full-bodied, dry and built around a dark, floral fruit profile with fine tannins and a long, elegant finish. Expect blackcurrant and a hint of cedar – the kind of wine that pairs beautifully with a slow-braised lamb or a good piece of aged cheddar to finish the meal.
