Impress your loved ones this Valentine’s Day by concocting them a special love potion all your own! These cocktail recipes are sure to put your sweetheart in the mood and it’s a quick, easy way to make something that shows your care.
Passion Margarita (Courtesy of Powell & Mahoney)
1.5 oz. Powell & Mahoney Mango Passion Margarita
1/2 oz. almond syrup
2 dashes angostura bitter
lime
In a shaker, combine 1.5 oz. 100% blue agave blanco tequila, 1.5 oz. Powell & Mahoney Mango Passion Margarita, 0.5 oz. almond syrup, 2 dashes Angostura bitters and the juice of half a lime.
Sweetheart Sipper (Courtesy of Sauza Tequila)
2 parts Sauza Blue Silver 100% Agave Tequila
2 parts cranberry juice
2 parts lemon soda
Mint leaves for garnish
Lime wedge (optional)
Sugar, for rim (optional)
Combine all ingredients except mint leaves in a shaker.Pour in glass and serve glass with 2 mint leaves for garnish.Optional: Rim the glasses with sugar before pouring the margaritas. Simply run a lime wedge around the edge of the glass and then dip the rim of the glass in a plate of sugar. Salud sweethearts!
Cupid’s Potion (Courtesy of Sauza Tequila)
2 parts Sauza Blue Silver 100% Agave Tequila
½ part fresh lemon juice
¼ part agave nectar
¼ part ginger syrup
1 tsp. puréed canned chipotle in adobe
½ lime, quartered lengthwise
1 strip red bell pepper, for garnish
1 small piece beef jerky, for garnish
Combine lemon juice, agave nectar, ginger syrup, chipotle purée, and lime wedges in a cocktail shaker and muddle together. Add ice and tequila, and stir. Pour into a cocktail glass and garnish with bell pepper and beef jerky. [To make your own ginger syrup, boil ⅓ cup sugar and ½ cup water with one 2” piece of peeled and smashed ginger for 5 minutes. Strain and refrigerate.]
Ultimate Cosmo Martini (Courtesy of Rokz)
1.5 ounces rokz cranberry infused vodka
1 ounce cranberry juice
1 ounce triple sec
.5 ounce fresh lime juice.
Infuse your favorite vodka with rokz cran infusion. Rim a chilled glass with rokz cranberry sugar. Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake until well chilled, about 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled glass.
50 Shades of Whipped (Courtesy of Pinnacle Vodka)
2 parts Pinnacle Whipped Vodka
4 parts ChocoVine Wine
Mix in a glass filled with ice. Top with whipped cream.
The French Kiss (Courtesy of Courvoisier)
1 part Courvoisier VSOP cognac
1 Demerara sugar cube
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
Top up with Champagne
Soak a sugar cube in bitters and drop into a Champagne flute. Cover with Courvoisier VS Cognac and slowly top with Champagne.
Love Potion 2 & 1/3 (Courtesy of The Sea Fire Grill)
2 oz. Absolut Pear
1 oz. Triple Sec
.75 oz. lychee nectar
.75 oz. passion fruit nectar
Edinburgh Rose (Courtesy of Hendrick’s Gin)
1 oz Hendrick’s Gin (Note: Hendrick’s is infused with rose petals, adding another rose-centric layer to this one!)
4-6 fresh raspberries
1 oz lychee juice
½ oz organic raspberry
Rose Cordial
Champagne
Shake it all with LOVE and double strain into a flute. Top up with champagne. Garnish with a raspberry.
Cupid’s Bow (Courtesy of Lillet)
2 parts Jean de Lillet
1 part Drambuie
10 drops Ardbeg scotch
10 drops rosewater
Lemon twist
Rose petal
Build first four ingredients in a rocks glass and give a quick stir with fresh ice. Express lemon twist oils over cocktail. Garnish with a white rose petal.
Lovers Concerto (Courtesy of Arabelle)
2 oz. Patron Reposado
Lemon Juice
Simple Syrup
Star by with a muddling Rosemary, an orange slice and 3 cloves. Then two measures of Patron Reposado, lemon juice and simple syrup are added to this flavor extract. All ingredients are double strained and a splash of soda and Malbec wine is floated on the top.
Sweet Charm (Courtesy of Once Upon a Vine)
1.5 oz. Godiva Chocolate
.5 oz. Sweet Herbal liqueur
.25 oz. Mint liqueur
.5 oz. A Charming Pinot Noir from Once Upon a Vine
Anti-Cupid Cucumber Crush (Courtesy of Skinnygirl)
1 ½ parts Skinnygirl Cucumber Vodka
2 parts club soda
Splash of sugar-free cranberry juice
Lime wedge or cucumber slice to garnish
Pour all ingredients over ice, and garnish with a lime wedge or cucumber slices.
If whipping up a love potion seems a little too daunting for you, don’t worry. Anyone can easily be wooed by the right bottle of booze. Here’s some romantic options to choose from:
DORDA Double Chocolate Liqueur ($24.99) is the answer to your prayers. Forbes proclaimed this as one of the top 15 bottles for 2015 and we aren’t arguing. Made by the Polish craft distiller family behind Chopin Vodka, Dorda is comprised of chocolate melted down from chocolatier E. Wedel and just enough Chopin Rye to make this concoction a liquid. Try this instead of your basic box of chocolate truffles or add it on top of any dessert for that extra wow factor.
Let’s hear it for the…ladies! Snag your gal a bottle of Bedell Cellars First Crush Red 2013 ($25) and pay homage to her femininity. This limited edition label was produced in collaboration with Michalene Thomas, who is known for her artwork depicting the female form. The wine itself is comprised of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, giving it a light, juicy and fruity taste. Bedell Cellars makes it really easy to relive your first crush with this baby.
Pink is definitely one of the most prominent colors on Valentine’s Day. Keep up with tradition with adorable Chandon Rosé minis ($8). The brand, known for their high class sparkling wine, delivers its exceptional rosé in cute and classy 187mL bottles, perfect to cheers your lover on V-Day. Chandon’s rosé includes Pinot Noir grapes, giving it a delicate, fruity flavor that everyone is sure to love.
Keep the spirit alive with Forever Young wines. Perfect for a romantic evening, the Sauvignon Blanc or Malbec Reserva ($12.99) both pair fabulously with foods. In fact, the Malbec is a Gold Medal Winner of the 2014 WSWA Wine & Spirits Competition, so you know it’s worth the dough. Give your sweetheart something they can enjoy that will keep ’em feeling young!
Twisted Talk: How do you plan on impressing you sweetie this Valentine’s Day? Will you be trying out any of these cocktails or bottles? Discuss below!
