5 Fun and Flirty Drinks for Valentine's Day
- illuminatingyou
- Feb 5, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 27, 2024
I am soooo guilty for always choosing the same ol' drinks most of the time. Obviously Paralyers win most days (ask ANYONE who knows me at all), and Costco's boozy eggnog always gets enjoyed over the Christmas holidays; sometimes mimosas are poured for special breakfasts, and random other things like Caesars are scattered in all over the place when the mood strikes.
I thought it would be fun to find a few different bevies to try this Valentine's Day - with a partner, a gal-pal, or on even your own (since you can and should celebrate your love for yoursel,f and there's no necessary 'date' requirement to treat yourself to something fresh and tasty!
Cocktail 1: Dirty Shirley
Bright and colorful, sweet with just a hint of booze, the Dirty Shirley Temple is quickly gaining popularity with cocktail drinkers. And who can blame them? It’s a boozy version of that nostalgic beverage so many of us grew up with—and let’s be honest, what too-sweet mocktail can’t be improved with a shot of vodka?
Ingredients for 1 drink:
2 oz. vodka
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. grenadine
4 oz. lemon-lime soda
Maraschino cherries and lime wheels, for serving
Directions:
Step 1: Fill a tall glass with ice cubes. Pour vodka, lime juice, and grenadine over ice. Add lemon-lime soda and stir with a long-handled spoon to combine.
Step 2: Serve topped with cherries and a lime wheel
Cocktail 2: Lemon Blueberry Daiquiri
This brightly colored daiquiri has major springtime vibes. Between the fruity sweetness of the berries and the bright, citrusy flavor, the rum tends to fade to the background, making these surprisingly drinkable despite the strength.
Ingredients for Blueberry-Lemon Syrup:
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. water
1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
Zest of 1 medium lemon
Ingredients for 1 drink:
Ice
2 oz. light rum
1 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 oz. prepared simple syrup
Fresh blueberries, for garnish
Lemon peel, for garnish
Directions:
Step 1: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and water and stir until sugar has dissolved. Add blueberries and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until blueberries have burst, about 5 minutes.
Step 2: Remove from heat, stir in lemon zest, and let cool 10 minutes. Strain mixture into a clean jar and let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. (You will have enough blueberry simple syrup for at least 4 drinks.)
Step 3: Fill a shaker with ice. Add rum, lemon juice, and simple syrup and shake until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe and serve garnished with blueberries and a lemon peel.
Cocktail 3: Very Sexy Martini
There’s something inherently sexy about a drink made with sparkling rosé, especially rosé Champagne. The Very Sexy Martini leans into this, adding fresh raspberries and citrus vodka, as well as muddled mint for aromatics. A mix of muddled raspberries and mint, citrus vodka, sugar, lime juice and sparkling rosé, it’s the perfect kind of drink for Valentine’s Day or for anniversaries and other romantic occasions. However, it’s important to keep in mind that there’s no need for an excuse to make yourself something that’s a little sweet, a little boozy and plenty pink.
Ingredients for 1 drink:
3 raspberries
5 mint leaves
1 oz. simple syrup
1 1/2 oz. citrus vodka
1 oz. lime juice
1 1/2 oz. Moët & Chandon Rosé Imperial Champagne, or another comparable sparkling rosé, to top
Garnish: mint sprig
Garnish: raspberry
Directions:
Step 1: In a shaker, muddle the raspberries and mint with the simple syrup.
Step 2: Add the vodka and lime juice, fill with ice, and shake until well-chilled.
Step 3: Strain into a cocktail glass.
Step 4: Top with the Champagne and garnish with a mint spring and a raspberry.
Cocktail 4: Rumplesnuggler
Nothing can compare to a warm, boozy cocktail in the dead of winter (which, here in Alberta, it still is on Valentine's Day. The Rumplesnuggler is made with hot chocolate, Baileys and Rumple Minze peppermint schnapps, plus whipped cream on top, if you want it. Some say it tastes like winter in your mouth. Maybe you've been skiing or skating all day. Maybe you’ve been shoveling snow for the past hour. Or maybe you’ve spent all day lying on the couch under a cozy blanket. It tastes great no matter your level of activity, so break out this fun drink any time your body requires the warming influence of minty, creamy, spiked hot chocolate.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz. Baileys Irish cream liqueur
1 oz. Rumple Minze peppermint schnapps
8 oz. hot chocolate
Garnish: whipped cream
Directions for 1 drink:
Step 1: Add hot water to an Irish Coffee mug to warm the glass, then discard the water.
Step 2: Pour the Baileys, Rumple Minze and hot chocolate into the mug.
Step 3: Top with whipped cream.
Cocktail 5: Between The Sheets
The Between the Sheets starts as a Sidecar but morphs with a measure of light rum and skips the
usual sugared rim. This recipe combines equal parts rum, cognac and triple sec with a quarter-part fresh lemon juice for a potent drink—and that potency is likely the reason behind its sassy name. Some prefer a bit more lemon for additional acidity, so customize the ratios to your liking. If you want to add flair, flame an orange peel over the surface of the cocktail for an aromatic hint of citrus oils.
Ingredients:
1 oz. cognac
1 oz. light rum
1 oz. triple sec
1/4 oz. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Garnish: flamed orange peel
Directions for 1 drink:
Step 1: Add the cognac, rum, triple sec and lemon juice into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.
Step 2: Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Step 3: Express the oils from a flamed orange peel over the top of the drink, then discard the peel before serving.
I can't decide which one I'm more excited about, but I think I'm gong to try Dirty Shirley first. I LOVE that name! I'm not sold on "Between the Sheets" but Kevin thought it would be something delish he'd try and said I needed to have at least one drink that wasn't totally pink or chocolatey, perhaps for the dudes in your world!
Check these out and let me know if you would try any and how they are. If there's something you love to drink, on either special or romantic occasions, that you think I should try, drop that in the comments below too!
Single or attached, solo or with company ~ I hope you feel the love this V-Day, and find some ways to feel a little extra special. You deserve it and are worth it!
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