Toast to a spirited Valentine’s Day with these romantic tipples.
Don’t wait until the last minute to figure out how you’re going to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Think small and intimate by choosing a couple of these drinks.
Flirtini
Courtesy J.W. Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, San Antonio
4 raspberries
2 strawberries, plus strawberry slices for garnish
1 ounce Deep Eddy Lemon vodka
1 ounce Malibu
¼ ounce agave nectar
Muddle four raspberries and two strawberries in a cocktail shaker. Add remaining ingredients, shake, and strain into Martini glass. Garnish with strawberry slices.
Chocolate Drop
Courtesy Yellow Rose Distilling, Houston
1½ ounces Yellow Rose Outlaw Bourbon Whiskey
¾ ounce Tuaca
1 teaspoon brown sugar syrup
¾ ounce Godiva Chocolate liqueur
2 ounces half-and-half
1 – 2 ounces club soda
Cocoa powder
Shake all ingredients except club soda over ice. Add more ice if needed and the soda. Stir. Sprinkle cocoa on top. Serve with a long straw.
Strawberry-Jalapeño Margarita
Courtesy J.W. Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, San Antonio
1½ ounces strawberry-jalapeño tequila (Note: Infusing tequila at home is easy. Simple instructions can be found here.)
½ ounce Patron Citrónge
1 ounce lime juice
1 ounce agave nectar
Lime wedge, for garnish
Jalapeño slice, for garnish
Strawberry slice, for garnish
In cocktail shaker, combine tequila, Citrónge, lime juice, and agave nectar. Rim margarita glass with salt and fill with ice. Pour mixture over ice with strainer. Garnish with lime wedge and jalapeño.
Cupid’s Kiss
Courtesy San Manuel Casino, Highland, California
1¼ ounces Deep Eddy Peach vodka
½ ounce Chambord
¾ ounce pineapple juice
¾ ounce strawberry purée
Dollop whipped cream
Strawberry, for garnish
Shake and strain over ice. Garnish with a strawberry.
Purple Lady
Courtesy Grayson Social, Dallas, Texas
1½ Gran Gala apples
1½ ounces pomegranate juice
½ ounce vanilla syrup
1 ounce vodka
3 drops of jasmine essence
1 egg white
1 dash of rose crystals, for garnish
1 edible orchid, for garnish
Dryshake the egg white. Then wetshake the egg. Pour up in coupeglass. Top with rose crystals, and garnish with edible orchid.
Rosé Sangria
Courtesy Grayson Social, Dallas, Texas
2 ounces Kung Fu Girl rosé wine (or your preferred rosé)
½ ounce lavender syrup
½ ounce rose syrup
7 berries of your choice
½ ounce Courvoisier
1 teaspoon collagen
1 lemon wheel, for garnish
Muddle lemon wheel and berries together. Add the rest of the ingredients and shake. Pour over one ice ball in a large wine glass. Garnish with three gummy bears on a spear.
Strawberry Basil Mimosa
Courtesy Grayson Social, Dallas, Texas
1 dehydrated strawberry
1 ounce strawberry basil shrub
Prosecco
Pour strawberry basil shrub in glass flute. Fill glass with Prosecco and stir.
The Texas Gentleman
2 ounces TX blended whiskey
½ ounce Caffe Del Fuego
3 dashes Fee Brothers Aztec
3 dashes chocolate bitters
Orange peel, for garnish
Combine whiskey, Caffe Del Fuego, and bitters in a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with an orange peel.
Call Me, Honey
Courtesy San Antonio Cocktail Conference
1 green cardamom pod
2 ounces Deep Eddy Vodka (or preferred vodka)
½ ounce lemon juice
1 ounce orange juice
½ ounce honey syrup*
Lemon wheel, for garnish
Cinnamon powder, for garnish
Muddle cardamom pod in cocktail shaker. Add remaining ingredients and two ice cubes. Shake. Strain into chilled rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with lemon wheel dusted with cinnamon.
* 2 parts honey to 1 part boiling water that is stirred and let to cool.
The Fancie
Courtesy Desert Door Sotol, Driftwood, Texas
1 ounce Desert Door Original Sotol
1 ounce St. Germain
1 ounce lemon juice
½ ounce agave nectar
Sparkling water (like Topo Chico)
Salt, for garnish
Combine sotol, St. Germaine, lemon juice, and agave nectar in a cocktail shaker. Add ice. Shake vigorously. Fine strain in lowball glass. Top with sparkling water and a dash of salt.
Basil Cranberry Julep
Courtesy Gift.com
1 ounce mezcal
2 ounces cranberry juice
1 basil sprig, plus more for garnish
Add basil leaves to cocktail shaker and gently muddle. Add mezcal and cranberry juice into shaker with ice and shake well. Pour into a julep cup on the rocks. Garnish with additional basil leaves.
291 White Manhattan
Courtesy Distillery 291, Colorado Springs, Colorado
1½ ounces White Dog Rye Whiskey
¾ ounce lillet blanc
¼ ounce maraschino liqueur
Dash absinthe
Dash orange bitters
Lemon peel
Luxardo cherry, for garnish
Pour all ingredients, save the lemon peel, into a cocktail shaker with ice, cover, and stir. Strain into a chilled rocks glass. Twist lemon peel over cocktail and discard. Garnish with Luxardo cherry.
Lot 10 Hibiscus Margarita
Courtesy Stagecoach Inn, Salado, Texas
Salt
1¾ ounces hibiscus tequila (recipe follows)
½ ounce Cointreau, or other quality triple sec
¼ ounce simple syrup
¾ ounce fresh lime Juice
3 drops white soy sauce or few grains of kosher salt
Lime wheel, for garnish
Rim the old-fashioned glass with salt.
Combine all ingredients in an ice-filled shaker, shake. and double strain into an old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.
Hibiscus Tequila
1 liter 100 percent agave blanco tequila
¼ cup hibiscus blossoms
¼ stick crushed cinnamon, preferably Mexican cinnamon
Combine all ingredients and allow to macerate at room temperature for two days and then strain out the solids. Lasts 1 month refrigerated.
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Photography: Courtesy J.W. Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, Courtesy Yellow Rose Distilling, Courtesy J.W. Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, Courtesy San Manuel Casino, Courtesy Grayson Social, © Cider Mill Press Book Publishers, Courtesy San Antonio Cocktail Conference, Courtesy Gift.com, Courtesy Distillery 291, Cody Graham/Courtesy Stagecoach Inn.
