9 Sexy & Sweet Cocktails for Celebrating Valentine's Day
Like a good cocktail, Valentine’s Day is filled with storied traditions, celebrated ingredients, interesting characters and more than a few killjoys.
Red heart boxes filled with chocolates didn’t appear until Richard Cadbury introduced them in 1861. Conversation hearts began back in 1857, when pharmacist Oliver Chase invented a machine to make medicinal lozenges.
Meanwhile, back in ancient Rome, naked men sacrificed a dog and one or more male goats at the beginning of Lupercal, the pagan feast that many believe Valentine’s Day is based on. Thongs were then made from these sacrifices and used to whip any woman within striking distance. For fertility, of course.
In Slovenia, it is believed that birds propose to and marry each other on Valentine’s Day, while Cupid, that adorable arrow-wielding baby was once considered capable of causing affection for the first thing his victim’s see.
Considering that we eat (drink) with our eyes first, it makes sense that the cocktails we choose on Valentine’s Day be attractive. Berries, chocolates and flowers are naturally fitting ingredients, and bonus points for those that double as aphrodisiacs.
For the perfect Valentine’s, Galentine’s or Palentine’s Day, there is no more need for sacrifices, candy machines, heart shaped boxes, bird weddings, or arrow-wielding babies. Take a look at the gorgeous cocktails top mixologists are shaking this year and try your hand at one or a batch. Your friends and loved ones will thank you. Sharing is caring, after all.
Flavors found in a red heart box serve as inspiration for the Zacapa Chocolate Old Fashioned, a re-invention of the classic cocktail. Says its creator, Lynnette Marrero, "The Zacapa old fashioned is a perfect sophisticated compliment to any Valentine's Day activities, especially a great meal. You get a hint of chocolate with the brightness of the grapefruit zest. These highlight the complex flavors and aromas in Zacapa and transport them to Guatemala in the glass. Don't forget to toast with your left hand, it is closest to your heart."
Zacapa Chocolate Old Fashioned
Recipe courtesy of Lynnette Marrero
1 1/2 ounces Zacapa No. 23
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Orange Bitters
1 heavy dash Chocolate Bitters
1 cube Brown Sugar
Garnish: Grapefruit Zest and Dark Chocolate Powder Dusted Peel
Combine Zacapa No. 23, Angostura bitters, orange bitters, chocolate bitters and brown sugar into a double old-fashioned glass and fill with ice. Stir gently.
Garnish with grapefruit zest and dark chocolate powder dusted peel.
Jackie Eash, the beverage director at Ceviche in Tampa Bay, created a special martini for Valentine’s Day. Says Eash, "The Chocolate Cherry Espressotini is the ideal Valentine's Day cocktail. With a touch of sweet at the start, a little zip from the Espresso in the middle, and then a final kick of heat at the finish, it's just like the perfect Valentine's Day interlude. Cheers!"
Chocolate Cherry Espressotini
Recipe courtesy of Jackie Eash, the beverage director at Ceviche, Tampa Bay
2 ounces vanilla vodka
¾ ounce Meletti Cicoccolato
¼ ounce Tanteo Habanero Tequila
½ ounce Leopold Brother’s Tart Cherry Liqueur
1 ounce cold espresso
Combine all ingredients into an ice-filled shaker. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled martini or coupe glass. Garnish with a dusting of cocoa powder and a speared Luxardo cherry.
Berries and bubbles are a classic Valentine’s Day pair and this Berries & Bubbles cocktail hails from Ocean Prime, the award-winning national steak and seafood concept from Cameron Mitchell Restaurants. A fan favorite, 210,000 Berries & Bubbles were made in 2022 across all Ocean Prime locations. That’s a whole lotta love.
Berries & Bubbles
Recipe courtesy of Ocean Prime
1 ¼ ounce Belvedere Organic Lemon and Basil Infusion
¾ ounce crème de cassis
1 ½ ounce house made sour mix
1 ounce Chandon Brut
Fresh berries
Dry ice
Combine Belvedere, crème de cassis and house made sour in a mixing tin. Add ice, shake vigorously. Add dry ice to chilled service glass. Add berries and brut to cordial glass. Pour berries and brut over cocktail in front of your Valentine.
House Made Sour Mix
Yields 2.5 Quarts
4 cups simple syrup
8 cups lemon juice
Adjust recipe to achieve desired yield. Ratio is 2:1.
Combine all ingredients. Portion into Stor-N-Pour containers. Label and date.
Marinated Berries
Soak fresh blackberries and strawberries in 1:1 combination of Grand Marnier and simple syrup for 24 to 48 hours.
The Hubba Hubba is inspired by love and created by Shana Race of TalkTales Entertainment: Cocktail Kits & Mixology Classes. Talktales cocktail classes teach through history, technique, storytelling, and of course, sipping the finished creation. Their goal is for their guests to be able to craft delicious cocktails for the rest of their lives. As Valentine’s day is a day to share the love, they have also crafted a cocktail kit with all the goodies. One stop shopping as well as having everything you need organized for you in one place just may be as sweet as chocolate.
Hubba Hubba
Hubba Hubba recipe courtesy of Shana Race of Talktales Entertainment.
2 oz tequila
3/4 oz lime juice
.5 oz sweet cherry syrup
1/8 oz dragon fruit powder
2 oz Q Hibiscus Ginger Beer
Lemon garnish
Pink Glowstick
(Optional edible glitter)
In a shaker, combine lime juice, sweet cherry syrup, dragon fruit powder, and tequila. Dry shake for 20 seconds to thoroughly dissolve dragon fruit powder into the drink. Add ice and shake until cold. Add fresh ice to a wine glass, add ginger beer then strain the cocktail into the glass. Garnish with a lemon wheel and glow stick. Optional, top with a sprinkle of edible glitter.
For cocktail fit for royalty, consider shaking up a Mint to Be. Mint to Be features the lovely, indigo-colored Empress 1908 Gin, notes of refreshing mint, soft floral elderflower, white cranberry and a splash of bubbly soda. For a nostalgic touch, garnish with your favorite love note candy. Fun facts: Not only was elderflower was one of the flavors of Harry and Meghan’s wedding cake, but it has long been considered an aphrodisiac as well.
Mint to Be
1 ½ ounce Empress 1908 Gin
1 ounce white cranberry juice
¼ ounce elderflower liqueur
¼ ounce lemon juice
Soda water
Mint leaves
Shake all ingredients but soda water on ice, including mint. Strain into a chilled glass. Top with soda and garnish with mint leaves
Those that keep their rose-colored glasses on during the cupid covered moments will find that the Pretty in Pamplemousse created by Death & Co is an iconic pink hue that will match any Valentine’s decor. The cocktail uses both Ketel One Vodka and Ketel One Botanical Grapefruit & Rose to create the blush beverage.
Pretty in Pamplemousse
Recipe courtesy of Tyson Buhler, National Beverage Director for Death & Co.
1 ounce Ketel One Family Made Vodka
½ ounce Ketel One Botanical Grapefruit & Rose
1 ounce Dolin blanc vermouth
¼ ounce Giffard Pamplemousse
¼ ounce Aperol
Stir all ingredients and then strain into a martini glass.
The Cupid’s Arrow not only features a cute name but leans into seasonal citrus as well. It is made with Noilly Prat Original Dry, a popular choice when mixing classic martinis. New cocktails utilizing staple ingredients are a welcome way to both stretch your cocktail dollars and impress your date.
Cupid’s Arrow
2 ½ oz Noilly Prat French Vermouth
¾ oz blood orange juice
¼ oz lemon
¼ oz demerara syrup (2:1)
1 dash orange bitters
Build in a Collins glass, swizzle with crushed ice, add crushed ice to top. Garnish with a fresh rosemary sprig.
We would be remiss if we didn’t offer a spectacular drink celebrating Galentine’s Day, the unofficial holiday celebrating friendship. Why should couple’s have all the fun? The Galentine is an easy cocktail to prep, and easier still to put in a pretty punch bowl for a batched cocktail.
The Galentine
Individual
1 ounce TX Whiskey
2 ounces Prosecco
½ ounce cranberry juice
½ ounce blood orange juice
¼ ounce lemon juice
¼ ounce simple syrup
Build and serve in a Champagne flute.
Batched
22 ounces TX Whiskey
44 ounces Prosecco (2 bottles)
11 ounces cranberry juice
11 ounces blood orange juice
6 ounces lemon juice
6 ounces simple syrup
Mix and serve in a punch bowl.
Elderflower is a lesser-known, yet potent, aphrodisiac. While these flowers of the European elder tree are more commonly used in medicinal ways, they also help create a lovely beverage for your special Valentine. Kissed by an Elderflower is a simple cocktail of Elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, topped off with Chandon Rose, and delicately garnished with edible glitter and cotton candy. It’s very similar to a French 75 except no gin!
Kissed by an Elderflower
Recipe courtesy of the Edgewater in Seattle.
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz Elderflower liquor
Rose bubbly
Cotton candy, optional garnish
In a cocktail shaker combine the lemon juice and elderflower liquor and shake with ice. Strain into a glass and top off with Rose Bubbles and garnished with cotton candy