We aren’t quite sure what people look for in a valentines cocktail… but figured all that really matters is that the person drinking it likes it.
However a romantic name or a red, pink or even violet colour can add novelty to your cocktail. So can rich, delicious flavours like coffee and chocolate. So we’ve pulled together a few to share with you this month.
1. The Rose
We’ll start with a traditional valentines gift but in the form of a cocktail…even better!
Ingredients
- 50ml French dry vermouth
- 25ml Kirschwasser (cherry brandy)
- 1 tsp Natural raspberry syrup
- Garnish: Brandied cherry
Method: Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a brandied cherry.
2. The Perfect Lady
What a wonderful name for this time of year..and a wonderful cocktail it is too! We featured it in our White Lady kit this January.
Ingredients
- 40ml Dry Gin
- 15ml Peach Liqueur
- 15ml Fresh Lemon juice
- 1/2 Egg white (optional)
Method: Dry shake if using the egg to make it frothy then shake with ice and garnish with lemon.
3. Bramble
One of my favourites all year round. Check out some variations in our Bramble kit.
Ingredients
- 40ml Gin
- 20ml Lemon juice
- 10ml Sugar syrup
- 10ml
Method: Half-fill your shaker with cubed ice, pour over the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup and shake until ice cold (you can tell by the frosty condensation on the outside of the shaker) Fill your glass with crushed ice, then strain the ingredients into it and drizzle the Creme de Mure over the top so it trickles through the ice. Garnish with fresh blackberries and a slice of lemon
4. Stolen Kiss
Ingredients
- 30ml Gin
- 30ml Green Chartreuse
- 1 tsp Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
- 1 Egg white
Method: Dry shake (without ice) all the ingredients together to froth the egg white. Then add ice and shake again. Strain into a cocktail/coupe glass.
5. Pomegranate Martini
A fine choice for a holiday but wherever you are this valentines this drink will give off a beautiful pinkish colour and its also far too sippable!
Ingredients
- 25ml vodka or gin
- 10ml ounce Cointreau or Orange Curacao
- 75ml pomegranate juice
- Garnish with pomegranate seeds (optional)
Method: Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with the pomegranate seeds or orange peel if that’s what you’ve got!
6. The English Rose
The English Rose Cocktail is gorgeous as well as tasty. It contrasts the sweetness of apricot brandy and grenadine with gin, dry vermouth and lemon.
The result is a tart-sweet flavour that’s nicely complex but still easy to drink. The look and name of this drink makes it great for Valentine’s Day.
Ingredients
- 20ml apricot brandy
- 35ml gin
- 20ml dry vermouth
- 1 teaspoon grenadine
- 1/4 teaspoons lemon juice
Method: Rim a cocktail glass with sugar. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add all ingredients. Shake well and strain into the glass, garnish with a cherry.
7. Between the sheets
This provocatively-named cocktail dates back to Prohibition and amps up the classic Sidecar formula with an extra glug of rum.
Ingredients
- 25ml Cognac/Brandy
- 25ml Triple sec
- 25ml Light rum
- 5ml Fresh lemon juice
8. Foxy Lady
Adapted by Simon Difford from a recipe by Nicolas Skovgaard at Fox Hotelbar, Copenhagen. A sweet strawberry gin sour. We featured this one in our White Lady kit.
Ingredients
- 30ml Dry Gin
- 10ml Strawberry Liqueur (Fraise)
- 15ml Fresh lemon juice
- 12ml Sugar syrup (2:1)
- 1/2 Egg white (optional)
Method: Dry shake if using the egg to make it frothy then shake with ice and garnish with lemon.
9. Romance
The Romance is all about coffee, chocolate and cream flavours and is sinfully rich and sweet. Garnish it with shaved chocolate and pay attention to presentation, and this one gets a big “wow!”
Ingredients
- 20ml Tia Maria
- 20ml Carolan’s Irish cream
- 20ml dark creme de cacao
- 25ml heavy cream
Method: Shake the ingredients with ice and strain them into a martini glass. No garnish is required, but it looks great with grated chocolate or speared cherries, and for Valentine’s Day, you might want to serve it with some chocolate covered cherries or truffles.
And of course, the 10th and final choice is probably one of our favourites and featured in our TASTE/Duppy kit this month:
10. The Old Fashioned Duppy
The TASTE/Duppy take on the Rum Old Fashioned featured in our Rum Swizzle Kit.
Ingredients:
- 40ml The Duppy Share Rum
- 15ml Falernum
- 5 dashes Angostura bitters
- Twist of orange peel to garnish
Method: Fill a rocks glass or tumbler with ice. Stir all the ingredients in the glass for 60 seconds to allow for dilution. Top up with more ice if needed and garnish with a twist of orange peel, then drink.
Image credit: Love cyn