Your sweetheart and some booze are all you need for celebrating February 14 properly. To buy quality liquor reach out to your local liquor store in Avon, Colorado. With recipes ranging from the sweet-and-spicy Hot Blooded to the elegant Champagne cocktail Romancing the Stone, these are 11 drinks that will keep you and your sweetie sipping together as you celebrate the day of love.
1. Bitter Hearts Know Better
A heart-hued spin on the classic Gimlet, this cocktail makes for a perfect Valentine’s Day drink. Hibiscus-infused gin is an unexpectedly floral-flavored base that’s mixed with lime and amaro. You’ll get bonus points for the sugar-rimmed glass, adding a festively sweet touch.
2. Rose-Colored Glass
This spin on a Champagne Cocktail is far better than any bouquet you could get for your date. The mix of Angostura bitters, lemon and rosé sparkling wine is so beautiful, it will help you see the world in a whole new light. For an extra-special presentation, serve in a coupe glass topped with a fresh rose petal.
3. Hot Blooded
Show off your spicier side this Valentine’s Day with this intriguing cocktail. Ancho chile liqueur and whiskey prove they’re a match made in heaven when they’re combined with blood orange and lime juices and simple syrup. A few dashes of hot sauce really heat things up, while a sweet lime-and-orange heart garnish provides an eye-catching finish.
4. Mata Hari
In this cocktail from pioneering bar Employees Only, homemade chai-infused sweet vermouth makes a richly spiced addition to cognac and pomegranate, while a squeeze of lemon adds brightness. Serve it garnished with dried rosebuds for an elegantly old-fashioned touch.
5. Tart ’n’ Sand
This cocktail from bar pro Charlotte Voisey riffs on the classic Blood & Sand, adding brighter citrus notes as well as blood orange liqueur. It starts by muddling marasca cherries, then shaking them with single malt scotch, the aforementioned liqueur, Lillet rouge, lemon and pink grapefruit juices, and orange bitters. Serve it in a coupe with an orange wheel and let the drink’s fuchsia color brighten your night.
6. Romancing the Stone
Bartenders Christy Pope and Chad Solomon created this Valentine’s Day spin on a French 75. The unexpected flavors of apricot eau-de-vie, honey syrup, lemon juice and Peychaud’s bitters take sparkling wine into a new stratosphere of sophistication.
7. Snickertini
Valentine’s Day’s major draw is all the chocolate. If you prefer to drink it instead, this is the cocktail for you, delivering a boozy sugar rush with its combination of caramel vodka, amaretto, Baileys Irish cream, chocolate liqueur and a splash of heavy cream. Garnish it all with chocolate and caramel sauces for an extra-sweet finish.
Paul Williams 