Three Romantic
Valentine’s Day Cocktail Recipes

These Valentine’s Day cocktails have us swooning!

Romance is a vibe that’s best served in good company (you know, the gals, your fur baby, your honey…), or at least company that appreciates a damn good cocktail. These cocktails are simple and straightforward but fancy enough to kick your average night (ahem, Valentine’s Day) up a notch— without creating too much extra work in the kitchen. Get creative and experiment, just because we like a certain cocktail with bourbon doesn’t mean you won’t love it with vodka! Scroll to the bottom for some tips on making these cocktails.

Kentucky Kiss

If there is one clutch move to this cocktail, its using fresh citrus. There is no comparison and honestly we wouldn’t drink it with anything else. The citrus keeps it bright and lively when the bourbon is added, with the berries and mint bringing just enough complexity to the mix to keep things interesting.

Ingredients:
1.5oz Bourbon
.75oz Simple Syrup *see below for recipe
.75oz Fresh Lemon Juice
6-8 Mint Leaves
2-3 Strawberries

Method:
Add simple, lemon, mint, and strawberries to a shaker and muddle. Add bourbon, top with ice, and shake hard for ten seconds. Strain into a glass with fresh ice and garnish with a mint sprig and strawberry. Optional: Add a splash of unflavored sparkling water to the top.

Lavender Sparkler

Nothing says romance like a glass of sparkling wine, right? Well except a pink, floral glass of sparkling wine. The Lavender Sparkler is an easy way to make a glass of sparkling wine feel extra special. Be sure to use a dry sparkling wine since what you’re adding to it will have a bit of sweetness to it.

Lavender Simple Ingredients:
1/2 c. Sugar
3/4 c. Water
1 tbsp. Dried Lavender Flowers

Lavender Simple Method:
Bring water and lavender to a boil and reduce to simmer for five minutes or until flowers loose their color. Strain 1/2 cup of hot mixture into a clean, heat-proof container and stir in sugar until dissolved. Let cool before using.

Cocktail Ingredients:
.75oz Lavender Simple
Dash of Lemon Bitters
Dry Sparkling Wine

Method:
Pour a splash of sparkling wine into a champagne flute. Add a dash of lemon bitters and the lavender simple. Top with sparkling wine, garnish with a sprig of lavender.

Elderflower G & T

The Elderflower G & T is a fun twist on a super simple classic, the gin and tonic. There are endless variations and ways to get creative but this is one of our favorites. A dry, floral gin works really well with the elderflower, citrus, and rosemary.

Ingredients:
1.5oz Gin
.5oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
2-4 Grapefruit Slices
1-2 Rosemary Sprigs
Tonic Water

Method:
Add gin, St. Germain, grapefruit, and rosemary to shaker with ice. Without muddling, shake ingredients (this will produce more of the ‘essence’ of grapefruit and rosemary verses them stealing the spotlight). Strain into a glass with fresh ice, top with tonic water, and garnish with a rosemary sprig and grapefruit.

To make simple syrup:
Mix equal parts (by volume) hot water and sugar. Stir until dissolved and let cool before using. Can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for a week.

Tips for Valentine’s Day Cocktails:

• When making the simple syrup, make sure you are measuring accurately, otherwise recipes will be unbalanced.
• Don’t skimp on the fresh citrus! If there’s one thing you do, use fresh citrus.
• When shaking, you’ll know when your cocktail is chilled because the outside of the shaker will become cold.
• Don’t be shy, experiment and get creative! Try recipes with different spirits, swap fruits, or sub sparkling water for spirits.

Like this recipe? Don’t forget to stay in touch!  We’d love to see you at an event soon.