If you can’t have a cocktail on Galentine’s and Valentine’s Day then when can you really? No matter whether you’re impressing your date, want to dish out something special to your gals or just to treat yourself, these beautiful cocktails make the best company.
Whatever your tipple of choice, there’s a cocktail that you’ll fall in love with waiting below!
Raspberry Daiquiri – for the rum lovers
Daiquiri is often dismissed as a slush-puppy style cocktail that’s overly sweet, but not this. It’s stunningly simple and when made correctly, it absolutely hits the spot. The raspberry and lime add a nice fruity tang to the syrup that works harmoniously with the rum for a seriously moreish cocktail.
Ingredients
50ml rum (white ideally, e.g., Havana Club 3YO)
30ml raspberry-lime syrup (try Monin)
10ml lime juice
Raspberry stick (garnish)
Method
Heat sugar and water in equal parts and throw in some raspberries and a squeeze of lime – to your preference. Once cooled, shake this and the remaining ingredients until cold and strain twice! Delicious.
Chocolate Martini – for the vodka lovers
If you’ve forgotten the chocolate box on Valentine’s, then don’t worry because this is even better. Deliciously sweet and silky smooth, the Chocolate Martini verges on dessert territory so it’s as indulgent as cocktails get – perfect for Valentine’s!
Ingredients
50ml vodka
25ml Irish Cream liqueur
30ml chocolate liqueur (like Godiva)
1 tbsp of melted chocolate
A sprinkling of cocoa powder
Method
You can drizzle the melted chocolate in a spiral or use a pastry brush to paint chocolate streaks along the glass. Save a little for the rim (or use the liqueur) and roll the glass in cocoa powder before chilling. Shake everything else with a generous handful of ice until it feels extremely chilled, then strain it into the glasses! Top Tip: If you half a strawberry lengthways then it’s the perfect natural heart garnish!
Tequila Mockingbird – for the tequila lovers
Much more than a pun, this is a gorgeous cocktail that varies across the world. Watermelon is underused in mixology because it lacks flavour when used sparingly, or it dilutes the drink too much. However, when combined as ice cubes it’s sublime and too good for just summertime. The jalapeño adds some spice to your Valentine’s Day too in this juicy, sweet and pleasantly earthy mix.
Ingredients
50ml blanco tequila
15ml lime juice
15ml agave syrup
3 watermelon cubes
1 slice jalapeño
Method
You can plop the watermelon ice cubes in (literally frozen cubes of watermelon), or to get more flavour muddle them and jalapeño in the bottom of the cocktail shaker. Add the other ingredients and fill with ice. Shake vigorously until well chilled and strain twice over into a glass. Use a good tequila!!
Blinker – for the whiskey lovers
Unfairly overlooked for a Valentine’s cocktail, we can’t leave whisky out and this Blinker is so simple and elegant that it’s easy to love. In the same vein as a classic Whiskey Sour, grenadine was originally used as a sweetener, but we prefer raspberry syrup!
Ingredients
50ml rye whiskey
50ml grapefruit juice (any colour)
15ml raspberry syrup/grenadine
Raspberries (garnish)
Method
Heat and stir demerara sugar and water in a 1:1 ratio and add a handful of raspberries to form a pulp before straining and allowing to cool. That’s the hard bit done, now you just shake with ice, strain and serve! Skewered raspberries make for a special final touch.
Pink Gimlet – for the gin lovers
This is a gorgeous tangy Gimlet with added fruity sweetness from the use of pink gin. The grapefruit and lime accentuate citrus notes in the gin and depending on the gin you use, a dash of syrup will balance things out perfectly. Especially if you use fresh juice, this will be packed with intense flavour and beguiling freshness.
Ingredients
50ml pink gin (Mirabeau Rosé Gin is perfect)
25ml syrup
50ml lime juice
75ml pink grapefruit juice
Rose petals (garnish)
Method
Simply pour all the ingredients into an ice filled cocktail shaker and shake together, then strain into a glass. Garnish with half a wheel of lime or even better, some rose petals, and you’re all set.
La Violetta – perfect for the sparkling wine lovers
Sparkling wine screams celebration, and the La Violetta is a wonderfully versatile fizz cocktail for Valentine’s Day. You can use whatever bubbles you have, Lambrusco, Champagne, Cava, Prosecco – it all works! For your taste, just leave out or add in a dash of syrup depending on the wine you’ve gone for. The lush floral aroma of the créme de violette works so well with most gin botanicals, and with the citrus and beautiful bubbles it's so refreshing too.
Ingredients
30ml dry gin
15ml lemon juice
15ml créme de violette
30ml sparkling wine
Tbsp of syrup (optional)
Method
Wine aside, shake everything and double strain into your glass. Top up with fizz and stir gently! Voilá!
That’s cocktails locked down, but if you have your eye on the spirits and wines to go in them or just fancy something simpler, then check out the rest of our Valentine’s Guides! There are the Best Sprits and Best Sparking Wine and Best Pink Gin here.