A well-crafted cocktail can really warm your heart this Valentine’s Day, especially when enjoyed in the arms of your partner. As beautiful as they are delicious, try your hand at a romantic cocktail this February to set the mood for a 2018 filled with love and whimsy.

Swedish Airmail

Cocktail from Lionfish Modern Coastal Cuisine

Light and bubbly, this drink embodies the spirit of Valentine’s celebration. The perfect drink to enjoy after a delicious meal, let the champagne dazzle your heart and senses while the citrus, honey, and lavender notes explode on the palate.

Ingredients:
4 dashes Scrappy’s Lavender Bitters
1 ½ oz. Absolut Elyx Vodka
¾ oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
¾ oz. Honey Syrup
2 ½ oz. Chandon Sparkling Wine (add after shake)

Method:
Add all ingredients into mixing tin, except for the sparkling wine. Add ice and shake vigorously. Now add 2 ½ oz. sparkling wine into mixing tin, and then double strain into champagne flute.

Glass: Champagne flute
Garnish: Lemon spiral, edible Viola flower

Jalisco Fashion

Photo Credit: Hassib Wahab

Dark and decadent, this tequila drink will speak to the soul with its sweet citrus and agave flavors, with rich chocolate notes resting on top. Treat yourself to a bite of candied cacao nib aside this cocktail for a treat you’ll love regardless of the season.

Ingredients:
2 Dashes Scrappy’s Chocolate Bitters
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
2 oz. Casamigos Reposado Tequila
¼ oz. Agave Syrup

Method:
Stir & Strain

Glass: Rocks
Garnish: Orange Peel

Sayonara Nakatomi

Cocktail from Hot Sauce @ QT Melbourne

Truly a unique cocktail, this drink obliterates the status quo to combine herbal and melon flavors with sake and white ale. Delicious and robust, this cocktail finishes with a sultry mouthfeel perfect for late-night relaxation this Valentine’s Day.

Ingredients:
1 oz. Midori
1 oz. Sekitoba Imo shochu
1 oz. Hitachino White ale
1 oz. Aloe Vera juice
.75 oz. candied orange syrup
.5 oz. yuzu juice

Build:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail tin, add ice and shake vigorously

Glass: Double strain into a chilled coupette
Garnish: Edible flower

Chaucer’s Verse

Photo Courtesy of Distillery No.209

Named after the father of English Literature himself, Chaucer’s written verse is done poetic justice by this gorgeous cocktail. Gin and rose petal ice work together to push intense botanical flavors to the forefront while blood orange and angostura balance this drink superbly. A whiff of baby’s breath flowers on the first sip will make you fall in love all over again.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz. No. 209 Gin
1 oz. Blood Orange Juice
1/4 oz. Simple Syrup
3 Dash Angostura Bitters
6 Whole Rose Petal Ice Cubes
1 Splash Club Soda

Build:
Pour gin, simple syrup, and blood orange juice over rose petal ice and top with club soda. Add bitters and stir well.

Glass: Highball
Garnish: Baby’s Breath Flowers

Martini Kiss

A romantic twist on the beloved Sazerac, add a touch of class to your celebration with this elegant cocktail. A delightful tartness from the Aperol and rhubarb bitters will balance your sweet plans this February.

Ingredients:
1 ½ parts Maker’s Mark Bourbon
¾ part Aperol
Absinthe
Dash rhubarb bitters
Splash Dolin Blanc Vermouth de Chambery

Build:
Rinse martini glass with a little absinthe and ice, stir and let sit. Fill a shaker with ice, add Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Aperol, bitters, and Vermouth, then stir gently. Discard the ice and absinthe and strain the cocktail into the glass before garnishing.

Glass: Martini glass
Garnish: Orange peel

Lady Killer

Slay your date this Valentine’s with this killer cocktail. As lovely as it is elegant, the sweet raspberry and tart cranberry balance out the citrus and fresh herb in this light tequila drink.

Ingredients:
1 part Tres Agaves Blanco Tequila
½ part Raspberry Puree
½ part Lemon juice
1 part Cranberry juice
Fresh Thyme
½ part sugar cane

Build:
Shake all ingredients well and strain into a chilled champagne flute. Top with float.

Glass: Champagne flute
Garnish: Champagne float – skewered raspberries and lemon peel