Prepare for romance, passion, and exceedingly high expectations, because Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Each year, the Hallmark touted holiday grows larger and more extravagant, but somehow the real loving purpose, and perhaps even cupid’s arrow itself, has become steadily excluded from the day.
Valentine’s Day celebrations normally consist of pre-fixe menus and hotel specials, which don’t necessarily scream romance, so this year forget the prepared couple packages and create something all your own. While extravagance can, at times, take your breath away, simple is sexy and will always leave you breathless.
Crafting a sexy, specialty cocktail for you and your partner to sip at all night sounds like the perfect recipe for romance. Forget the generic gifts and treat your valentine to a cocktail that is not only easy to make, but is sure to set the mood for the whole evening.
Now, while you may feel like an experienced mixologist by the end of the night, these cocktails are simple and don’t require too many ingredients, which means that you can spend more time with your valentine. Check out our sexy and simple cocktail recipes for Valentine’s Day below and be sure to raise a glass to true love and romance on February 14!
The Bee Line
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 ounce Tequila Don Julio Blanco
- 1/2 ounce Fresh Lemon Juice 1/2 ounce Honey Syrup
- Prosecco to Top
Directions:
- Combine Tequila Don Julio Blanco, fresh lemon juice and honey syrup into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well.
- Strain contents into a coupe glass.
- Top with prosecco.
Cruzan Valentine Sparkler
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 parts Cruzan Aged Light Rum
- 1/2 part Vanilla Simple Syrup
- 1/2 part Unsweetened Fresh Cranberry Juice
- 4 parts Sparkling Wine
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients in a champagne flute and stir twice. Garnish with an orange peel cut in the shape of a heart.
Midori Sparkle
Ingredients:
- 1/2 part Midori Melon Liqueur
- Dry Champagne or Sparkling Wine
Directions:
- Pour Midori into a champagne glass. Top with dry Champagne or sparkling wine.
Meehan’s Black Flip (Created by Jim Meehan and Jeff Bell, NYC mixologists)
Ingredients:
- 2 parts Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
- 1½ parts Cruzan Black Strap Rum
- ½ part Demerara Syrup
- 1 Whole Egg
Directions:
- Combine ingredients in a mixing glass and swirl to decarbonate beer.
- Dry shake, shake with ice, and strain into a chilled fizz glass.
- Garnish with grated nutmeg.
Midori Mebuki (created by Chef Morimoto)
Ingredients:
- 1 part Midori Melon Liqueur
- 1 part Junmai Style Sake
- 1/2 part Fresh Lemon Juice
- Splash Simple Syrup
Directions:
- Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and shake. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lemon peel.
Amour de Amatitán
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ oz. Blue Nectar Silver
- ¾ oz. fresh lime juice
- ¾ oz. crème de cacao
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- Orange twist
Directions:
- Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
Honey & Heat
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. New Amsterdam Vodka Classic or Citron
- 1 oz. Lime Juice
- 1 oz. Monin Habanero Syrup
OR
- 1 honey syrup/agave nectar
- 1-2 slices of Serrano chiles
Directions:
- If using chiles, muddle, then pour liquids, shake, then strain into tall glass, add 1 oz. Ginger Beer, garnish with a lemon wheel and serve.
Black Label Old Fashioned
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch
- 1 tsp Demerara Syrup
- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
- 1 dash Aromatic Bitters
- Lemon & orange twist for garnish
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients in a rocks glass and stir
- Garnish with a lemon and orange twist
Blushing Vesper (created by Jaime Rios, Bartender, Top of the Standard)
- 1.5 parts Ménage à Trois Berry Vodka
- 1.5 parts Lillet Rosé
- 1 part Tanqueray (or other juniper forward gin)
- .25 parts Campari
Directions:
- Add all ingredients to a mixing glass and stir for about 20 seconds with Kold Draft ice (or ten seconds with smaller ice).
- Strain into rocks glass with "whisky stones" or large cube of ice.
- Garnish with lemon twist.
The Dasher
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz. New Amsterdam Peach Vodka
- .5 oz. Brandy
- .5 oz. Campari
Directions:
- Stir all with ice, strain into a tall, ice-filled glass or a rocks glass, squeeze an orange peel and drop into the ice, then strain the liquid into the glass.
Orchard Fizz
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. New Amsterdam Vodka, New Amsterdam Peach Vodka or New Amsterdam Citron Vodka
- 2 oz. lemonade
- 4 oz. hard (fermented) cider
Directions:
- Pour all ingredients into a tall glass, add ice, stir, garnish with a lemon slice, and serve.
Peach & Pinot
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz. New Amsterdam Peach Vodka
- .75 oz. Lime Juice
- .75 oz. Pinot Noir
- .75 oz. Triple Sec
Directions:
- Shake with ice, strain, and serve up in a Martini glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.
CRUZ Choco- Tini (created by Niccole Trzaska, The Liberty NYC)
- 2 parts CRUZ Reposado Tequila
- 3 parts Choco-vine, Chocolate Wine
Directions:
- Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a martini glass, garnish with chocolate sauce and cinnamon.
New Amsterdam Vodka Nuts
While you may be looking to simplify your Valentine’s Day this year, everyone gets hungry, especially after so many delicious cocktails. If you are looking for a quick and easy snack try out New Amsterdam’s recipe for Vodka Nuts, while vodka and peanuts don’t necessarily mix, this recipe brings them together deliciously, and makes your whole sexy drink theme come together to complete that cocktail bar feel. Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup Coconut New Amsterdam
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 16 oz. of peanuts
Directions:
- Stir and salt, then bake for 25 minutes at 300 degrees.
The Lady in Red (created by Pamela Wiznitzer, USBG NY Chapter President, Seamstress NY)
- 1 ½ parts Maker's Mark Bourbon
- 1 part Pomegranate Juice
- ½ par lemon juice
- Ginger Beer (chilled) to fill
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