6 Valentine’s Day Cocktails that Express Your Style of Love

Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is upon us. Thankfully for us the alchemy of a cocktail is easier to duplicate than the alchemy of love. No boxed chocolates, conversation hearts or cupid covered cards can match the healing powers of a well-made cocktail. The beauty of a curated cocktail is that it knows no boundaries. Its alchemy is appropriate for every expression of the holiday - Valentines, Galentines, Palentines and those flying solo. To this end we queried modern day alchemists for their best takes on Valentine’s Day elixirs.

Included below are cocktails featuring the scents, colors and tastes of love. They are sparkly, fruity, herbal, citrusy, alcoholic/non-alcoholic and sometimes a tad bitter.

Statisticians tell us that $21.8 billion dollars was spent on Valentine’s Day, 2021 with a U.S. average of $164.76 per person. Imagine if only half of that were spent on spirits and cocktail accoutrements? We could celebrate the holiday and upgrade our bars at the same time. What a nice way to share the love.

Fresh & Bubbly

Ricardo Flores, mixologist at Hot Tin, a rooftop bar at New Orleans’ iconic Pontchartrain Hotel, had dreams of La Vie en Rose for Valentine’s day. A nod to both Louis Armstrong and the Crescent City, Flores added The Diver Brut sparkling rose for color, bubbles, and the “rose.” Cathead Honeysuckle Vodka is a “fun, all natural vodka which adds honeysuckle spring notes,” he says, while fresh strawberries, lemon juice, and a splash of Cointreau add a fruity, citrus vibe to finish. The result is a bright, floral cocktail that is fresh and not too sweet. A little like some of our favorite people.

La Vie En Rose

2 muddled strawberries
2 oz. Cathead Honeysuckle Vodka

1⁄2 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Splash of Cointreau
The Diver Brut Rose to finish

Muddle strawberries in a shaker. Add ice, vodka, lemon juice and Cointreau. Shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled glass. Top with Brut Rose. Add an edible flower to garnish.

Tropical & Steamy

Miami hotspot, Ball & Chain has created the “Amor En Havana” for Valentine’s day. Made with Myers Rum, coffee liqueur, Creme de Banana, fresh-squeezed lime juice, and simple syrup this sweet libation will say what loving words can't. The drink will be available on Valentine’s Day weekend only for a sweet $14. If you can’t make it to Ball & Chain, create your own love in Havana with the following recipe.

Amor en Havana

1 oz. Myer’s rum
3⁄4 oz. coffee liqueur
3⁄4 oz. Creme de Banana
3⁄4 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice 1⁄2 oz. simple syrup
Angostura bitters

This is a tiki style cocktail. Dry Shake (no ice) all ingredients except bitters, and serve on crushed ice. After pouring the drink add about 5 dashes of bitters to cover the ice. Top off with more ice & garnish with mint leaves and a lemon wheel.

Virginal

Rick Sousa, mixologist on Virgin Cruise’s The Scarlet Lady, has created two virgin cocktails for Valentine’s day. When creating the cocktails, Sousa had in mind the many ways and forms of love. He marries sweet and tart here to “give a full flavor profile of what love means. Two separate pieces that come together to create a greater one.”

Sousa likes utilizing Seedlip non-alcoholic spirits because it enables people to have an enjoyable cocktail with low or no ABV, along with their friends, even if they are not consuming alcohol.

Dante and Beatrice

1 oz. Seedlip Garden 108 1 oz. Seedlip Spice 94
1 oz. lime juice
1 oz. honey syrup

2 ounces grapefruit juice

Smoked salt for the rim

Rim half a chilled Collins glass with smoked salt. Combine all ingredients except salt in an ice-filled shaker. Shake for 15 seconds. Strain into the Collins glass.

Faux Jessica Rabbit

2 oz. Seedlip Grove 42
1 oz. lime juice
1 oz. rich simple syrup
2 oz. carrot and ginger juice blend

Combine all ingredients in an ice-filled shaker. Shake for 20 seconds. Double strain into an old fashioned glass. Garnish with a basil leaf.

*For carrot and ginger juice blend combine 3 small knobs of ginger and two carrots with 4 ounces of water in a blender. Blend until well combined and strain.

Falling in Love

Marcio Ramos, mixologist at New York City’s The Honey Well, wanted to create a cocktail that highlighted both the colors and the light, refreshing feeling of being in love. Says Raymos, “The UME Plum Liqueur pairs perfectly with the robust classic flavors of Sipsmith Gin. Cucumber is such a light fruit to work with. I added the Angostura Bitters to balance it all making this combination of ingredients memorable.

Just a Touch
2 slices of cucumber, muddled

2 dashes of Angostura bitters 1⁄2 oz. lemon juice
1⁄2 oz. agave mix
1 oz. UME Plum Liqueur

2 oz. Sipsmith Gin Edible pansy to garnish

Muddle the cucumber in a cocktail shaker until mashed up. Add Angostura bitters, then lemon juice. Add agave mix, UME Plum Liqueur and Sipsmith Gin. Add ice and shake vigorously. Double strain into a chilled Collins glass. Garnish with edible pansy.

Agave Mix

2 cups water
1 whole orange peel 1 tsp. Allspice
1⁄2 tsp. cardamom
2 cups blue agave

Add all ingredients except for agave to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer on medium. Lower heat and add agave. Cook on low for 3 minutes. Cool and refrigerate.

Sweet & Sassy

Ani Meinhold of Phuc Yea Miami says, “If you want something sweet with your sweetie, here’s a drink to put a smile on your face.” The La Goyave is a nod to both Miami and a version of this cocktail that’s served at Phuc Yea. It’s frothy, blended, sweet, and tart. Says Meinhold, “This is great for people who don’t like booze-forward cocktails. It’s refreshing in the heat and is an excellent dessert cocktail too.”    

La Goyave

2 oz. guava sauce

2 oz. Brugal 1888 Aged Rum

1 oz. fresh lime juice

Salt

Add guava sauce, lime juice, rum, a pinch of salt and approximately 6 to 8 ounces of ice in the blender. Blend until frothy and smooth. Serve in a martini glass and add additional lime zest to garnish.

Guava Sauce

6 oz. guava paste

2 oz. full fat coconut cream

2 oz. fresh lime juice (2-3 limes), juiced and zested.

Salt

Place guava paste in blender cup with coconut cream, lime juice, zest of 2 limes and a healthy pinch of salt. Blend until smooth and place in a jar or squeeze bottle.