It’s the season of candlelit dinners, bouquets of flowers, boxes of chocolate and all things romantic—and creating signature cocktails is a great addition to an evening with the one you love. Cocktails can be made as part of the dinner, a dessert, a standalone drink to enjoy, or even the main event of the occasion.
Spending time with your significant other, experimenting with different concoctions and sharing an experience of different flavours is a fun way to spice up date night.
But the question always remains—what cocktails are most suitable for an occasion such as Valentine’s Day?
The simple answer is the one you enjoy most; but there is also a vast selection of cocktails you can try that have a romantic theme or are coloured in the reds and pinks that are typically associated with Valentine’s Day.
Corby Spirit and Wine recommends experimenting with one – or all – of these Valentine’s Day themed cocktails that will help you celebrate with the love in your life:
- Cosmopolitan – when properly made, the Cosmo has a “blushingly pink” hue, apropos for the Valentine’s season. Fill a shaker with ice and add 11/3 ounces of Absolut Citron, 2/3 ounce Triple Sec, 2/3 ounce lime juice and 2/3 ounce of cranberry juice. Shake (key tip: you are shaking the drink to life, not rocking it to sleep!) and strain into a cocktail glass. Serve with one twist of orange zest.
- Pink & Tonic – aloving take on a classic, the Pink & Tonic is a vibrant twist on gin & tonic that enhances Beefeater Pink Gin’s strawberry flavour. Add 1 1/2 ounces of Beefeater Pink Gin, 5 ounces of tonic water and ice into a mixing glass. Stir until chilled. Strain into glass, add ice, and garnish with strawberry slices and a sprig of mint.
- Hot and Steamy Frother – if you’re looking for a Valentine’s-festive low ABV brunch drink that is delicious and caffeine-free, look no further (but hey, if you want that jolt, feel free to add a shot of espresso)! Combine 1 ounce of Kahlúa, 8 ounces of milk or oat milk and up to an ounce of Red Hot Cinnamon Syrup in a frother, and let it do its thing. Pour into a coffee mug or glass Bodum immediately before the drink begins to separate. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon and some cinnamon hearts along the side. (Note: for this drink, the milk base shows dairy and oat as the options because both will do their thing in a frother. Almond and other milks will do the trick for flavours but won’t froth well.)
- Jameson Cinnamon Heart Old Fashioned – a festive evening drink for your Irish whiskey-loving Valentine. The syrups and bitters tie it together and the optional bitter Absinthe or Fernet go great with the other flavours. In a mixing glass, stir together 2 ounces Jameson Original Irish Whiskey, ½ ounce Red Hot Cinnamon Syrup and 3 dashes of Bitters. Strain into a rocks glass rinsed with Absinthe or Fernet and finish with lemon zest. Garnish with twist of lemon zest and three cinnamon hearts on the side for health, wealth and prosperity.
For the Red Hot Cinnamon Syrup, store-bought cinnamon syrups will work here but a homemade one is fun and fills the house with great aromatics. Quite simply, add equal parts sugar and water (1 cup) along with a handful of cinnamon hearts to a pot and simmer on low for five to 10 minutes, stirring often. Let cool, strain and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.
