Valentine’s Day is here so it’s time to infuse your cocktail lineup with a little romance and fun. Hearts, flowers, chocolate and all shades of red, pink and lavender add to the Feb. 14 festivities. Here are 10 recipes we like for this year. And if you need more, here are the Valentine’s Day recipes from 2023, plus a bonus round of themed drinks.
Young Hearts
Ingredients
- 1 strawberry
- 1 ½ oz. Broken Shed Vodka
- ¾ oz. Elderflower liqueur
- ¾ oz. Fresh lemon juice
- ½ oz. Simple syrup
- 1 dash Orange bitters
- 1 Egg white
Instructions
- In a shaker, muddle the strawberry.
- Add the remaining ingredients.
- Dry shake, then shake again with ice.
- Double strain into a coupe.
- Top with a freeze-dried strawberry.
Notes
The mixologists at Broken Shed created this recipe.
Spritz into Love
Ingredients
- 1 oz. Vegas Baby vodka
- 6 oz. Berry sparkling lemonade
- 1 ½ oz. Aperol
- ½ oz. Lemon juice
- Orange wheel strawberry slice garnish
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
- Shake until the shaker is cold.
- Strain into a wine glass.
- Garnish with orange wheel and strawberry slice.
Notes
The mixologists at Vegas Baby created this recipe.
Fleur de Lis
Ingredients
- ¾ oz. Bombay Gin
- ½ oz. St. Germaine elderflower liqueur
- ¼ oz. Citric acid
- 4 oz. Mio sake
- 1 dash plum bitters
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.
- Stir, strain, and pour into a coupe glass.
- Garnish with edible glitter spray.
Notes
The mixologists at Queen Miami Beach created this recipe.
Chocolate Covered Cherry Manhattan
Ingredients
- 2 oz. Koloa Kaua’i cacao rum
- ½ oz. Luxardo cherry liqueur
- Three dashes of Angostura bitters
Instructions
- Add ingredients to a cocktail stirring glass.
- Stir well, then let it sit for a minute.
- Strain the cocktail into a chilled serving glass.
- Garnish ostentatiously with roses and/or chocolate covered cherries.
Notes
Mixologist Lee Corbett (@TheRogueBrusselSprout) created this recipe.
Lovers’ Moon
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz. Astral Tequila Blanco
- 1 ½ oz. Fresh grapefruit juice
- ½ oz. Fresh lime juice
- ½ oz. Cinnamon-agave syrup
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker.
- Add ice, shake and strain into an ice-filled rocks glass rimmed with salt.
- Garnish with a grapefruit wedge.
Notes
The mixologists at Astral created this recipe.
Vallières’ Secret
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz. Monkey 47 Distiller’s Cut Edition 13 gin
- 1 oz. Blueberry juice
- ¾ oz. Lemon juice
- ¼ oz. Maple syrup
- 1 tbsp. Blueberry jam
Instructions
- Pour ingredients into cocktail shaker.
- Add ice and shake.
- Fine strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass.
- Garnish with maple caramelized bacon strip.
Notes
The mixologists at Monkey 47 created this recipe.
French Passion
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz. Cîroc Passion vodka
- 1 oz. Pineapple juice
- ¾ oz. Hibiscus syrup
- ¾ oz. Lemon juice
- Top off with Champagne/sparkling wine
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except the sparkling wine into a shaker.
- Add ice and shake for about 8 to 10 seconds.
- Double strain into a coupe glass.
- Top off with Champagne/sparkling.
- Garnish with edible flowers.
Notes
The mixologists at Cîroc created this recipe.
Cupid’s Arrow
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz. The Pathfinder Hemp and Root
- 1 ½ oz. Tamworth Distilling Flora gin or non-alcoholic gin substitute
- 2 oz. Chilled hibiscus tea*
- 1 dropper Bittermens Burlesque bitters
- Top with 2 oz. dry sparkling rosé alcoholic or non-alcoholic
Instructions
- Stir the first four ingredients together over ice in Collins glass.
- Top with sparkling wine.
Notes
Lee Noble, cocktail specialist at Quaker City Mercantile, created this recipe.
Watermelon Sour
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz. Bisquit & Dubouché V.S.O.P. Cognac
- ½ oz. Aperol
- 1 oz. Watermelon syrup granulated white sugar and watermelon juice
- ¾ oz. Lemon juice
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients into a shaker.
- Strain into into chilled coupe.
- Garnish with a watermelon cube.
Notes
The mixologists at Bisquit & Dubouché created this recipe.
Hopped Strawberry Old Fashioned
Ingredients
- 2 parts Knob Creek 7 year old rye
- ¼ part Strawberry liqueur
- ¼ part IPA syrup*
- 2 dashes Orange bitters
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a mixing glass
- Stir and strain into a rocks glass.
- Garnish with a lemon twist.
Notes
*IPA Syrup: 1 part granulated sugar and 2 parts hop forward IPA. Simmer for ~10 minutes (or until syrup has reduced by half). Let cool.
The mixologists at Knob Creek created this recipe.
